Hot Fudge and Halibut
by Shay-zee325
Summary: Lois Lane finds herself in a sticky situation when she switches places with her past self. Stuck in 2005 she struggles to get back to her husband and child while changing the past as little as possible. Meanwhile, in 2017 Clark has to deal with an angry 20 year-old Lois who can't stand being around him.
1. Chapter 1

That day started off as normally as any day could in Smallville, Kansas. Lois Lane was hiding out between the dumpsters in the alley of the Talon, furiously chewing on nicorette. There was a little bit too much awkward sexual tension hanging around the coffee shop for her taste.

Suddenly she heard someone running down the alleyway, splashing noisily in puddles. She peeked out to get a closer look at the middle age man who was shouting and knocking into things. She didn't even have time to react when he slammed into her and knocked her off her feet.

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?" She yelled as she tried to get to her feet. The man grabbed her by the arms and practically shook her.

"You have to help me! I'm stuck here and I need to get back!"

"I think that's the way most people feel about Smallville. You need to lay off the midday sauce, buddy." She forcefully knocked his hands away from her and stood up. Lois was not the type of woman that you cornered in an alley.

"You don't understand! I'm from the future!" The man almost started to sob. She rolled her eyes and pushed past him.

Lois was damn tired of all the crazy people that lived in this town. Living with the General at a base was more enjoyable then this little shit-hole town and all of the murdering, stealing, and insane meteor-freaks running around. It seemed like ever since she had come here to get justice for Chloe's "death" she had found herself holding an icepack or two by the end of the week.

She could hear the footsteps as the man began to follow her. Just as the guy was bout to get a rude awakening from the bottom of her shoe, the purple backdoor of the Talon opened. Chloe and farm boy started down the steps, deep in conversation. Clark noticed immediately the scene in front of them and moved forward to step in.

"Chloe! Chloe Sullivan!" The man stummbled towards her and she gave him a strange look. Apparently the acquaintance was not mutual. "It's me, John…er, Jay Little. We were lab partners in biology in high school." Chloe gave him a disbelieving look, but studied him for a few seconds.

"Oh my God! What happened to you?" She said staring hard at him.

"Chloe I haven't been back to Smallville in twenty years! Since the year after we graduated high school. I don't know what happened to me. I thought it was all a dream but then this happened." He rolled his sleeve up to show a deep gash on his elbow that looked like road rash. "It wouldn't look like hurt if I were dreaming or…or hallucinating. Right?" Lois could tell that this man was quickly losing it. Well he was going freaking out, obviously he'd already lost his mind.

"That's not possible," Clark said. "We only graduated a few months ago."

Lois was getting a danger-vibe from the guy as he started twitching and looking from side to side. She didn't like being too close to a crazy person. She stared hard at Clark hoping he'd get the signal to grab him if he made a run for it. They needed to get the man to the hospital before he hurt himself or one of them.

"No! No, I was driving to work when all of a sudden I was sitting near Crater Lake." Chloe put her hands up to calm him down. "You don't understand! I live in Atlanta now! I have a wife and two kids. I saw the paper just now saying it was 2005, but that's not possible! It was 2025 this morning." The Chloe, Clark and Lois started at Jay very hard. "Oh God this is a nightmare, no one believes me!"

He turned on Lois, with a wild look in his eye. He tried to close the distance between them, but Lois punched him hard in the face. He slipped on the asphalt as he fell back, and cracked his head on the side of the dumpster.

"Lois!" Clark shouted disapprovingly as he ran towards the unconscious man and hovered over him.

"Look Smallville, maybe you don't mind being charged at by a crazy person, but I'm not just going to stand there and get pummeled."

"Well he needs to be hospitalized." Chloe said, then she caught the glaring fest between Clark and Lois. "It would've had to be done either way. Lois, why don't you call an ambulance?"

"Fine," She said. She pulled her phone out and moved a few feet away to make the call.

Chloe waited until Lois was out of earshot before quietly saying, "Clark, what if he were telling the truth? I knew Jay Little and the might have gained a few pounds and lost his hair, but the was definitely him."

"So you think he came from the future?" He said, giving her a look like she too might be unstable.

"It's not that far of a stretch, Clark. Remember that phone call you got from Lana a couple of years ago? That call came from the future."

Clark thought for a couple seconds before answering her. "Chloe, that was a fluke with a thunderstorm and some meteor rocks. You don't think that could actually happen with people do you?"

"I don't know." She said, finally. "But I think we should go down to Crater Lake tonight and check it out."

Lois poured her third cup of coffee as Chloe answered her third call from Clark. The conversation wasn't a long one, but Lois got the jest of it anyway. They were poking their heads into something big and trying to leave her at the apartment above the Talon. When Chloe ended the call, she turned to Lois with a cautious look on her face.

"I have to get going. I have an interview at the Planet tomorrow morning."

"Nope." Lois said, pointing her finger at her cousin. "Call him back. I'm coming too."

"Lois…I don't know what you're talking about."

"You and him should join a support group for terrible liars. You two are going all Scooby Doo tonight to investigate that dude from the future and I'm not missing out." She said in a final sort of tone. Chloe started to speak, but Lois quickly cut her off. "I'm going and thats the end of it."

Chloe sighed as she gave up. She pulled out her phone and dialed his number. "Clark…"

It felt like he was knocking on the door three seconds later.

"How'd you get here so fast?" Lois said as she opened the door for him.

"Uh…I was already around the corner." he said, not meeting her eyes.

"We were supposed to meet outside anyway," Chloe said, covering for him. He really needed to think quicker with Lois around. Clark didn't like the idea of Lois tagging along. She always got herself caught up in something and always ended up punching somebody, usually him.

"So what's the plan?" Lois said while going to her closet to grab a jacket.

"Well I did some research," Chloe began.

"Naturally," replied Lois as she started violently pulling out sofa cushions.

"What exactly are you doing?" Clark asked, eyeing her suspiciously. She soon pulled out a black bag and held it up for him to see. She dumped the contents on the kitchen counter, revealing an arsenal of knives, a taser, and pepper spray. He almost rolled his eyes. He was, as Chloe jokingly put it, a one-man army. "You aren't going to need any of that, Lois. Seriously, just leave it here."

She shot him a nasty glare and turned towards Chloe. "So what did you find out?"

"Besides Atlanta John, there's only been one other person who claims to be stuck in the past, but she's had a history of mental illness. Crater Lake has had its share of wall of weird moments, but this is a new one."

Lois smirked deviously. "Let's go then."

The ride down to the lake was not a pleasant one. Chloe was squished uncomfortably in the small cab on Clark's truck between Lois and Clark, who were arguing, as always, over the radio station. It took less than twenty minutes, but it felt like years. They parked down a hidden path that was supposed to be used to fix power lines, but was actually used regularly by fishermen, partying teenagers, and a few hobos.

The ground was wet and the air was just starting to have the crispness of fall. They grabbed flashlights and took their time inching deeper into the forest surrounding the lake. Lois's foot suddenly sunk underneath a large root and she felt herself falling forward, but at the last second something grabbed her hand and steadied her. Clark's hand easily wrapped around her arm and felt like steel against her. She quickly nodded a thank you and walked faster, though more carefully, to get away from him. Ever since her accidental stripping gig, things had become somewhat awkward between them. And she was very ashamed of her pounding heart and flushed cheeks. She couldn't help it. A pair of big, strong arms got her every time.

"We should split up, we can cover more ground." She said, turning to the two of them.

"Said every bimbo that's ever been in a horror movie." Chloe said with a raised eyebrow.

"For one, I'm not a bimbo-" Clark snickered. "Shut up Farm Boy. This isn't a horror movie and I can take care of myself."

"That's not a good idea. Whatever did that to Jay could be really dangerous," He said. Lois shot him a look as if he had sprouted another head. "If you really want to split up that badly, why don;t you and Chloe go search around the bank and I'll start at Bennet Trench."

"No!" Chloe practically shouted. Lois and Clark both gave her a strange look. "We'll search the trench. You look around the bank." She lowered her voice so that only Lois could hear (although he knew perfectly well that Clark could hear too). "It's full of meteor rocks. Anything exciting will be down there."

Lois nodded once in understanding and started heading East of where they were standing. It only took five minutes to reach the bottom of the "trench", which was actually just an embankment wedged between two hills. Chloe was right. The green rocks were everywhere and they made her nervous. They were probably radioactive from all the pollution in the atmosphere, which is why people around her got freaky abilities and went nuts.

They looked around for a few minutes, shining their flashlights into every tree knot and peaking underneath low hanging branches. Suddenly, Lois noticed bits of earth that were scattered over fallen leaves and started following a trail. She was only barely aware that Chloe wasn't behind her anymore. It lead her to a large, fresh crater that had probably been made in the last meteor shower.

She froze, keenly aware of faint breath on the back of her neck. She didn't look before she turned and struck the person hard in the stomach. Even in the dark she could sense the danger before her. He had not attacked her, hadn't even touched her, but she knew. She attempted to kick him while he was doubled over, but he grabbed the back of her knee and pulled hard. She fell on her back hard enough to knock the wind out of her. He leaned over her, pressing his knee on her torso, and pinning her down. She struggled and tired to throw him off to no avail. She was loosing her breath and fighting to stay conscious.

"Chloe," She croaked but hardly anything came out.

The stranger pressed his hand flat to her chest and Lois felt her flesh turn to fire. She felt as if she were trying to rip her own skin off from the inside out. She screamed bloody murder but nothing would lessen the pain. His eyes glowed green and flashed wickedly as she finally stopped fighting and fell easily into darkness.

"Lois!" Chloe called for the tenth time. With a woosh Clark was suddenly by her side. "She wandered off and I've been looking for her everywhere. Why don't you use the X-ray vision thing?"

Clark concentrated hard, unsure wether he' be able to actually locate her in the dark. Sure enough though, there was a bodying laying in between the trees. He could tell that it was Lois by the size and shape of her pelvic bones, but he would never admit to that out loud.

"She's over there. I think she passed out." He pointed and was about to run, but Chloe grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Clark, you can't just run around down here. If there's meteor rock I'm going to have to drag both of you up the hill"

"Whoever attacked Lois could still be around. I'm not letting you go by yourself."

"If I need you, I'll call for you," She reassured him, and he nodded reluctantly.

Chloe found Lois unconscious at the bottom of what looked like a large sink hole. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. Lois's hair was much darker, she looked older, and she was wearing a big flannel shirt and pajama pants with rubber duckies on them. A black leather purse was hooked around her wrist and some of its contents were scattered around her. Chloe moved above Lois and checked her pulse. It was steady. Chloe almost sighed in relief.

"Lois…Lois, wake up." Chloe tried shaking her gently. Lois moved her head slightly, but didn't open her eyes. Her movement had opened her shirt enough for Chloe to notice the blood. Burned into Lois's chest was a large handprint.

"Oh God."She muttered. She quickly shoved the random items back in Lois's purse and zipped it up. She then grabbed Lois under her arms and dragged her from the crater. The blood was worse now, deeply staining the flannel.

"Clark!" He was there in a fraction of a second. He picked Lois up and gave her a once over.

"What happened to her?" He could feel the familiar ache of kryptonite and Lois began to feel very heavy in his arms. It was faint enough that it wouldn't bring him to his knees and he could keep going.

"Look at this," Chloe pulled one side of the flannel open to show Clark her wound, though to Chloe's surprise, it had begun to heal and it looked like the degree of the burn had lessened.

"We should get her to the hospital." He had almost reached the top of the hill. Lois's burn continued to fade as they walked.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. If she started shouting stories of being from the future like Jay did, she could get a one way ticket to Belle Reeve. Besides, she seems to be healing. Why don't we take her back to the farm for tonight?"

The ride back to the Kent farm felt much faster without all the bickering, plus Clark was driving thirty miles over the speed limit. Chloe quickly ran to the front door and pulled it open for Clark with Lois in his arms. His parents rushed to his side as he laid Lois on the couch.

"Oh my God! What happened?" Said a very concerned Martha Kent.

"She was attacked by something. Could you get some ice and maybe a blanket?" Clark turned to his mother, who did as he asked without hesitation. Jonathan followed his wife out of the room and offered to go upstairs and grab the blanket. Clark pressed the back of his hand to Lois's forehead. She didn't have a fever, but she was clammy. Chloe knelt beside her, looking up at Clark as if she was waiting for him to give her all the answers, or at least comfort her. Lois started trembling. He put a hand on either side of her face.

Lois opened her eyes to meet Clark's. She smiled brightly at him, remembering last night. "Good morning." She stretched and felt the back of her wrist hit something hard. Then she looked around. First she noticed Chloe, which was highly unusual, then she saw the old Kent house, which was impossible. She bolted upright.

"What's going on?" She bluntly asked her husband.

"Lois, you were attacked," He said feeling a little uncomfortable with the intense way she was looking at him.

"When? Was it really bad enough to call Chloe? Did you and Ollie get the guy?" She shot questions at him at reporter speed.

"Ollie?" Chloe asked with a confused look.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Who's watching the kids?" She looked back at Clark quickly and something important popped into her head. "Did you bring Jase? Where is he?"

"Lois, you were hurt pretty badly. I think you're confused."

"Me, confused? You're the one acting like you don't know who Jase is." She stood up and pain radiaded across her body. She looked down to see a faint pink burn on her skin. She touched it gingerly. "Oww. Did you get me with heat vision again?"

Clark started at her in horror. "What did you say?"

"What's wrong?" She said suddenly, touching his arm. "Is it Kryptonite?"

He and Chloe stared at each other blankly. Clark's parents entered the room and Lois gasped loudly, putting her hand over her racing heart. Her diamond ring glittered violently in the light. She looked around as if she were seeing everything for the first time. She turned back to Clark.

"How…?" She searched his face and began to notice faint differences about him. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

She sank back on to the couch. "Son of a bitch."


	2. Chapter 2

Martha handed Lois, who was still staring at everything with disbelief, a cup of hot tea. Lois had freaked out for a solid fifteen minutes. Future Lois would be a hard thing for anyone to swallow. Jonathan flat out refused to believe it at first, accusing her of making a very inconsiderate practical joke. She reached for the cup and Mrs. Kent noticed her engagement ring and wedding band.

"So you're married, Lois?" Martha's question snapped her back to the situation at hand. She actually had to look down at her finger, before answering.

"Yes, for five years now." She smiled. At least she still had that comforting thought to carry with her. Chloe and Clark were both surprised. Who would've ever thought, Lois Lane happily married? And who in the world was she married to? She had a definite change about her. It could've been maturity, or it could've been marriage, but it suited her.

"So, is Jase your husband?" asked Chloe.

"God this is surreal," Lois put a hand to her temple. It throbbed slightly. "No. Jase is my son. He's three."

"Wow." Said Clark. That was totally unexpected. With Lois's track record he couldn't imagine her as a mother.

"Yeah, well, I'd really like to get back to him and my husband, so let's start with how I got stuck in the dark ages." She said, putting the tea down. She looked around. "Did you find a black purse by any chance?" She crossed her fingers and thought, _Please! _Chloe fished it out from behind the couch and handed it to her. Lois rummaged through it and pulled out a notebook and pen. "Tell me everything that happened."

Chloe started telling the adventure with Clark filling in the gaps that she skipped over. Lois simply nodded her head at the crater, the burn on her chest, and Clark carrying her to safety, but when Chloe started talking about the "meteor freak" who did it, Lois interrupted.

"It wasn't a meteor infected person."

"Lois, how do you know? You aren't exactly in a position to give us intimate details about the guy." Chloe said, frustrated.

"Physically removing someone from the present and placing them in a different time is not _humanly _possible. Trust me, this isn't my first time in the time travel rodeo." She read over what she had written and added a few lines.

"What do you mean?" Clark had become even more concerned when she said "humanly possible." It was obvious she knew his secret, but how? He still wasn't 100% sure about the time-travel theory, even if she did look different. He decided to play it off, acting like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I've been to the future a few times, but the throwback is a new one for me. So, this little trip down memory lane is probably some messed up form of extra terrestrial payback."

"Lois, you're talking like a crazy person." Chloe piped in. "There's no such thing as aliens!"

Lois ignored them and kept scribbling. Martha and Jonathan gave each other looks that said, both of them were at a loss for what action to take. Clark peaked over her shoulder, but she turned around and said , "Don't even think about it, Smallville."

He was half-confused as to what she thought he was going to do. She snapped the notebook shut and stood up. It was really aggravating to have them watch her every move, as if she were a bomb. "I'm not going to get anything done tonight, I'll just start tomorrow. Where do I live now?"

"The Talon," Said Martha. "But I think you should stay with us for tonight. Until…until you get adjusted."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kent." Lois felt a surge of gratitude towards her mother-in-law, not only for her hospitality, but for being the perfect mother to an orphaned intergalactic traveler. This woman and her husband took weird as if it were a side dish at dinner.

"Chloe," said Jonathan. "Why don't you stay as well? You can help Lois…figure this whole thing out."

Lois headed up the stairs after Chloe agreed but paused halfway up. "Clark, I'm sorry." He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "For taking your bed, I mean."

"Okay, now I'm sold. That is not the same Lois Lane we were with two hours ago." Chloe said, in disbelief. When in the world had Lois started feeling guilty about Clark's discomfort? The four of them moved to the dining room table and sat down.

There was an uncomfortable silence for almost thirty seconds before Clark said, "What if that actually is Lois from the future?"

"Now I'll be the first to admit we've has some strange things happen at this farm before, but this one might take the topper." Said Jonathan, running a hand through his hair.

"The question is, what do we do about her? Not only does she seem to know Clark's secret, she has some inside information that I don't even think _I _want to know about." Chloe said, without thinking. Jonathan and Martha looked at each other then back at Chloe.

"Chloe! How long have you known about Clark's secret?" Martha said in astonishment.

"Oh since last year," She said, sheepishly.

"How much do you know?"

"Uh…Everything. I think?" She looked at Clark, who nodded. Chloe remembered something then, that struck her as very odd. "You know what's the strangest part? Lois didn't freak out when she woke up to see you standing over her. It's almost like she was expecting it. Do you think maybe you and Lois…?

"Clark and Lois? Time travel is more believable than that." He shrugged it off, but he couldn't deny that what she said made sense. The thought of him ever loving anyone besides Lana was inconceivable. Especially Lois Lane. They went together about as well as fire and gasoline. But then…just now she has apologized for banishing him to the couch, which was uncharacteristically thoughtful.

"I know you don't want certain details of the future, Chloe, not that any of us do," said Jonathan. "But you need to see what's in that notebook."

Lois couldn't sleep. Really, how in the hell could she? She had made the excuse earlier to be alone and get her head together. She made a list of possibilities that had landed her here which included, the Legion Ring, a Lexcorp time machine, Martians, and the phrase, "Jor-el is a sadistic bastard." Now she needed to find a way back. Clark, her Clark, was probably out of his mind looking for her. She needed a way to let him know where she was and that she was okay. She also desperately needed to know if he and Jase were okay.

Leaving a message at the fortress was probably her best bet, plus if it were Jor-el that sent her here, maybe she could convince him to take her back. The problem was convincing the nineteen year old Clark to take her. She could do it. She would do it. She was Lois goddamn Kent…er, Lane. She knew it would be a horrible idea to let him know that they were married in the future, she couldn't risk him flipping out and marrying Lana instead. But luckily, she knew him well enough to know he'd jump at the chance to save a damsel in distress. After he got over the shock of how much she knew, of course.

Much later Chloe tried to quietly sneak into Clark's bedroom, but Lois was still awake and was watching her. She was carrying a bag of what was most likely Lois's clothes and other personal items from her apartment.

Chloe looked at Lois, mistakenly thought she was asleep and grabbed her notebook from her purse. She read it and what she saw appalled her. Lois really did know everything. This was bad.

The next morning Clark walked into the kitchen to find Chloe and his mother talking. He had not had a chance to talk to either one of them yet.

"So what did you find out?" He asked her. He didn't find out though, because Lois came down the stairs then, practically bouncing. He was surprised yet again by "future Lois" who was awake so much earlier than he was used to. He was suddenly glad that he had been unable to sleep last night and had already completed his chores. He would've had to do them the "normal" way, without his powers.

"Well you're looking better this morning," said Martha.

"My old clothes still fit," Lois said, sounding extremely pleased with herself.

"Were they not supposed to?" asked a confused Chloe.

"I had a baby Cos," She said, as if that explained everything. "But you know, Chlo, if you wanted to see what's in my notebook you could've just asked."

"How did you…?" Chloe was embarrassed at getting caught snooping.

"I didn't become a top reporter at the Daily Planet for nothing."

"You?" Clark said, amused. "A reporter? That's ironic."

"Almost as ironic as sharing an office with you, four-eyes." She laughed.

"What?" He said.

"Nothing," She laughed again.

"If you didn't care that I knew what you wrote, why did you try to hide it?" Asked an irritated Chloe.

"Well I'm trying to impact the past as little as possible."

"Why?" Clark said.

"It's obvious though. Everything has already happened. Some of it is shitty and painful. Yes, there are things I wish I could change, but it's a horrible idea to mess with it. Time is a complex, nonlinear entity." She paused at their dumbfounded looks.

"Think about it. I've already lived this moment, probably doing something completely different. Meaning that whatever I did, isn't happening now, which could have a horrible effect on the future. I need to get out of here as quickly as possible and try not to change anything. It's going to be challenging though, since I've been dropped smack into the middle of your lives."

They were silent for a while before Lois said, "Clark…I need to speak to your father."

"Well he's in the barn, working on the tractor." He said, but had a suspicious feeling.

"No, your biological father."

"Well that's not possible, because he's dead." He said, rather sharply.

"We both know there's a way, and we need to get going. Please, Clark, it's important."

"Lois, I have no idea what you're talking about. My biological father died a long time ago, and you can't talk to him unless you pull out a Ouija board or something."

Martha and Chloe watched as a very tense Lois gave Clark both a furious and hurt look.

"I…I almost forgot what it felt like."

"What what felt like?" He said, cautiously.

"For you to lie to me." She shook her head. "Clark, we're partners. We're best friends. I know everything about you." He gave her a look, but was silent. His eyes flickered to Chloe. "Yes, I know that she knows too. It's been twelve years, Clark. _Twelve. _Did you really think you wouldn't have told me, or I wouldn't have found out by now?"

"Lois…maybe you should sit down." Said Martha.

Exasperated, Lois huffed and tried to calm down. "Am I going to have to prove it, or can we just move on, with you excepting the fact that I know? Because I can't do this alone."

No one said a word. "Fine. You're Kal-el, son of Jor-el and Lara-el, and also the last son of Krypton." His eyes widened and Martha made a noise of protest, but Lois continued. "You tend to carry that weight around with you. You listen to old country music, but constantly deny it. Sometimes when you think no one is listening, you sing it in the shower, and you're not too bad. You like movies that are clear cut good and evil, so you won't over think it. Your favorite book is _To Kill a Mockingbird _and you've read it to my son before to put him to sleep while we were doing research. You've saved the Earth from nuclear destruction, like seven times now. You cauterized my gunshot wound with your eyes, pulled me out of multiple burning buildings, and flew in to save me the second time I was thrown off a skyscraper. Once you ran all the way to Mexico to satisfy my pregnancy craving for enchiladas. The list goes on. I would mention that turtle shaped birthmark you have, but I saw that before I even knew your name." She paused to let that information sink in. "Like it or not, Smallville, I've seen your secret identity. Now I need you to put your big boy pants on and take me to the Fortress."

Chloe busted out laughing and that was not the reaction Lois was expecting.

"What?" She snapped.

"Nothing, it's just…There's only one Lois Lane."

Lois froze as it hit her. "You're right. There is only one Lois. There's not two of my running round Smallville."

"Yes Lois," Clark said. He didn't know what to feel. He was angry, surprised, amused and annoyed that she was starting the obvious. It was strange that, at the moment, Lois knew him better than anyone. Maybe even more than his parents. It was scary and a little bit freeing to be so open with someone. He had no idea how he was supposed to feel about her now.

"No, you don't get it. In my other trips like this, I showed up, but it's not like Lois from that time disappeared." Chloe, Clark and Martha weren't following her thoughts. "So if i'm the only Lois here, where is the one you know?"

"So you think you might've switched places? You're here and our Lois is in 2017?" Chloe suggested.

A strange look crossed Lois's face.

"What's wrong?" asked Clark.

"It's just my poor husband. I don't know whether to laugh or cry for him."


	3. Chapter 3

_Lois woke up feeling like she had been sucked up into a tornado then hit by a train. The first thought to enter her head was that her hand was dry, and not laying on the damp forest floor. She opened her eyes to see a ceiling fan, and then she rest of the strange bedroom. She sat up quickly and immediately regretted it. Pain shot through her and she touched her raw and bleeding chest lightly before remembering those horrible green eyes. _

_"__Lois? What is it?" _

_She froze. She hadn't yet noticed the other inhabitant of the bed, but she recognized his voice. She gasped and reached for the closet thing to her, which happened to be a metal picture frame. She held it over her head as a weapon._

_"__What the hell are you doing?" She yelled. "What's going on?" _

_She barely blinked and he was suddenly on the other side of her, touching her face. She jerked away from him and tried to get out of the bed. Suddenly the lights were on, momentarily blinding her. Standing there, in nothing but blue boxers, was Clark Kent, who was staring at her in a way she didn't like one bit. _

_"__Where am I and why are you always naked around me?" She shouted. She gave him a look that said she was not in the mood to be messed with. _

_"__Maybe you should sit down, Lois." Clark could instantly tell that something was very, very wrong. Lois looked younger, her hair was lighter, she was wearing muddy clothes and boots, and she was acting like she had never seen their apartment before. _

_"__Don't tell me what to do, Smallville. And answer my damn questions!" _

_"__Shhh. You'll wake the baby." He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently steered her over to the bed. This was not good. Not good at all. _

_"__Baby? What baby?" She said, menacingly. Lois didn't want to admit it, but she was beginning to panic a little. _

_"__Lois, what's the last thing you remember?" On any other night he would've grabbed her hand and talked through the problem with her, but he thought he better not press his luck. Instead, he stood above her with his hands across his bare chest._

_"__We were walking around Crater Lake looking for clues as to what happened to Jay. Then this thing attacked me and I passed out." He was looking at her like he had no idea what she was talking about. "Chloe! We have to go find her!" _

_"__I'm sure Chloe is fine. Is there anything else you can think of?" He was beginning to worry. What Lois was describing had nothing to do with the previous evening. _

_"__No, but I really would like to get back to the Talon. Where are we anyway?" She looked around. Everything was in different shades of primary colors. Very Smallville._

_"__The Talon? Lois, what year do you think it is?" He ran his fingers through his hair. Lois hadn't lived in that apartment for over a decade. _

_Lois looked at him then. Really looked at him. And while she glanced over his perfectly sculpted body, she couldn't help but stare at his face. He looked older, more sophisticated. The way he looked at her had changed to. She had only ever seen that look directed at one other person before…_

_"__It's 2005." She said while giving him a look that said he was completely nuts. She was starting to think she was the one going insane though. _

_"__Oh boy." Clark sat down next to her, and barely even cared as she inched away from him. How had this happened? He was still in possession of the legion ring, but he had no idea why Lois would touch it, or how her younger self would end up in their bed. And what did some mysterious green eyed man have to do with bending the laws of space and time? "Lois, I think you've been sent to the future."_

_She busted out laughing, but when Clark didn't even smile, she got concerned. She didn't want to believe it. She wouldn't. "It's not a joke! Seriously, where's my cousin?" _

_"__Probably with her husband."_

_"__What did you just say? Are you insane?" She started freaking out. She was waiting for the cameras to come out and tell her she was being punked. _

_"__We'll figure it out, don't worry. We just have to-"_

_He was interrupted by is son's voice, calling out for Lois. _

_"__What was that?" She asked, suspiciously. It was time for quick decisions. He decided that there was no way around Lois finding out about their marital status, but it would be best not to let her in on the Superman secret. The less she knew, and the faster they figured out what was going on, the better. He walked out of the room, at human pace, to get his son. _

_Lois stared after him as he left. She thought she might actually be dreaming for a second, but she was in too much pain for this not to be real. She could hear him talking to someone in the other room. She was about to put the picture frame back on the dresser where she got it from, when she noticed what it was. She practically screamed. _

_This was a nightmare. Most definitely a nightmare. It was a wedding photo.. A wedding photo which consisted of her as, well, a smokin' hot bride, and Clark standing next to her. It was so strange. They looked older, she had stopped highlighting her hair, and they actually looked _happy_ to be standing next to each other. She felt his presence as he entered the room, but she didn't turn around._

_"__We're married?" She asked very calmly, but leaving no question as to how she felt about it._

_"__Yes." He answered, wearily. _

_"__Why?" She almost shrieked, turning to face him, but found herself starting open-mouthed at a small boy in Clark's arms. _

_"__Mama," The boy said, reaching for her. Clark held him steady though, not letting him wiggle his way down to Lois. _

_"__No way. No fu-…freaking way!" She looked back and forth between the two of them, who were practically identical. Clark nodded in confirmation. This was too much. She stood up and glared furiously at him. "You knocked me up? How dare you! Was I blacked-out drunk when I agreed to this?"_

_He gave her the look he always gives her when she's causing trouble. It was so patronizing. The little boy jumped at the sound of her yelling at his father. Apparently she didn't do that often. He looked very hurt that his mother hadn't jumped at the opportunity to hold him when she got the chance. He looked up at his father, as if looking for answers. _

_"__Mama!" He said again, more forcefully. She gave Clark a look that clearly said she wasn't ready to interact with their son. _

_"__Come on, bud. Time to get back to bed." He started walking into the other room with his son protesting the whole time. For some reason it broke Lois's heart. It reminded her of the early days after her mother died when Lucy would cry out and Lois would have to be the one to comfort her. _

_"__Wait!" She ran out of the bedroom into the hallway. Clark turned around, surprised. "Can I hold him?"_

_"__Really?" He asked, stunned. She nodded and he hesitated. "Are you sure?"_

_"__Give me the kid." She reached out to him and Clark handed the boy over. He was surprisingly heavy and solid. He smiled up at her like she was his favorite person in the world, then laid his head on her shoulder. Her heart felt heavy and light at once. How in the hell would Lois Lane ever be a good mother? _

_"__That did the trick." Clark said, smiling at her, an identical look to the one his son just gave her. Lost in her own thoughts, she had almost forgotten he was there. _

_"__What?" She asked, startled. _

_"__He's asleep again. Come on, let's put him back to bed." He put a hand on her back, steering her to the adjacent bedroom. She would've snapped at him for touching her, but she didn't want to wake the boy up._

_"__What do we feed him? Damn he's heavy." She gently place him back into his bed, which was shaped like a rocket. "Aren't they supposed to be in cribs?" _

_"__He's three, Lois. He out grew the crib." He whispered, motioning her to exit the room before he woke up again. Lois found her way into the living room. She could tell that she had been the one to pick out the big leather couch. It was the only thing in the place that looked like her. She sat and winced. _

_"__Let me see." He said, concerned. _

_"__Clark 'the pervert' Kent strikes again." She said with a grin. He gave her an exasperated look and she pulled her shirt down slightly, to find that her wound had started to heal. It was barely pink anymore. "What the hell?" _

_Clark wished that he could answer that. "Do you want some ice?" She nodded and he went to get her an icepack. It was purple and had her name on it. _

_"__Do I get hurt enough to need my own icepack?" She said, grumpily. He started feeling guilty. How could he ever explain their lives to her? They were silent only for a moment. They both knew how much Lois hated uncomfortable silences. "What's his name?" _

_"__Jase." _

_"__Why Jason?" She said with a raised eyebrow. She didn't even like that name. Would she really let Smallville have control over something that important?_

_Clark started to laugh, which was highly unusual for her to see. "His name is Jonathan Samuel. You came up with the nickname Jase from his initials." _

_"__Oh." That made more sense. "I bet the General and your dad were pretty happy about that." A look flashed across Clark's face, but he didn't say anything. _

_"__I just don't understand how something like this even happens." She frowned. "Maybe this is like a worst-nightmare scenario." _

_"__Being with me is your worst nightmare?" Clark said, a little hurt. Sure, he knew he shouldn't take it to heart, he could still remember the days when they couldn't stand each other, but it had been a long time since Lois hadn't been in love with him. _

_Lois felt a fid bit guilty, but she wasn't going to let him in on it. "I just don't understand how this happened. What about Lana, you know, love of your life?" _

_"__Lana was my first love, but she's not the love of my life, you are." He said, sincerely. _

_"__Slow down there Romeo, I'm not even in on the story yet." She glared at him, but it did flatter her to think that someone, even if it was Clark, considered her to be the love of their life. _

_"__I know it's strange to you, even a 'nightmare,' but we're happy together. We make a good team." _

_That she couldn't argue with, she had seen it before. "But how did we end up like…together? I can't stand to be in the same room with you for more than five minutes at a time." _

_"__It was all your doing." He said, in a far off sort of voice. She raised an eyebrow. She was not type type to chase a man down. "You've always been able to see right through me, even the first day we met. You might not realize it, I didn't at the time, but you've always been the one to push me into becoming a better man."_

_"__And how did that make me agree to date you?" She was trying to rationalize it all. It didn't make sense to her._

_"__It's more like we grew into each other. One I started to grow up and focus on more important things, I think you actually stopped seeing me as a dorky farm boy, and more as a man who could keep up with you. And for me, I fell in love with different sides of you. You started to let me see some of your vulnerability and your passion to make the world a better place. From the moment I met you I saw that you were type of woman who fought tooth and nail for what you cared about. You were too stubborn to ever accept defeat or wait around for someone to save you." He paused, trying to gage her reaction. "But back then I was too blind to see that you were the one I always needed." _

_She was quiet for a while, trying to take it all in. He did look different to her. She wondered if she had ever really looked at him before now and she could somehow see why she would be with him. How was she going to return to her time and ignore the potential in him that she saw now?_

_"__How did I even end up here?" She said suddenly. "Time travel isn't even possible!"_

_Clark laughed very hard at this. _

_"__What?" She snapped._

_"__You were more concerned about the thought of us being together than how you got to the future. It's funny." _

_She glared daggers at him. "Yeah, well, time travel is more believable than that. And why are you so calm about this? Most people would be freaking out right now, they wouldn't just have all the answers."_

_He didn't want to point out that Lois herself was still freaking out. Instead he just said, "It's a long story. I think the best thing to do is to call the Planet and take a sick day. You never have, so that shouldn't be a problem. Then we'll figure out how to get you back."_

_"__Planet? You mean the Daily Planet?" She said, confused. "Why?" _

_He pinched the bridge of his nose. This was going to be a very long night. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to all of you lovely people who reviewed and subscribed! It was awesome to receive so much support already :) I will try to publish at least a chapter a week. So let me know what you thought of chapter four guys :)**

Lois continued to look half-concerned and half-amused as she made herself a cup of coffee. The conversation had come to a screeching halt. The silence of Chloe and Martha was more caused by the lack of knowing what to say. Clark's was because he was afraid of what he might hear, especially after that "flying" comment. Martha slipped out of the kitchen to fill her husband in on the situation, leaving the three of them to stare at different points in the room and avoid eye contact. Eventually Chloe's curiosity won out over her caution and she started asking questions.

"Why would you be worried about your husband?"

"How would you feel waking up in a strange house, with a little boy running around calling you 'mommy' and find yourself married to the last man on Earth you thought you'd end up with?" Lois said, with a look that said all of that was obvious.

"Who did you marry?" Clark asked.

"How did you end up a reporter?" Chloe interrupted. "Do I work with you? When did you and Clark become so close?"

"Do you really want to know the ending before the beginning? Why deny yourself the little surprises?" But Chloe gave her a look that said she wasn't going to let it go. "I can't tell you everything. There are some choices people have to make without any influences."

"I guess you're right," Chloe said, a little deflated.

"To answer a few of your questions though, I became a reporter the day that barn door," She pointed outside. "flew two miles and almost killed me while I was out jogging."

Clark and Chloe exchanged looks and he had a strange feeling he had something to do with that. "Clark and I bonded over our shared desk space in the bullpin and have been best friends ever since," She continued. Chloe felt a stab of jealousy at Lois. She didn't appreciate being replaced as his go-to girl. "I won't give you too big of a hint at your job, little cousin, but you love doing it."

"And your husband?" Clark repeated. He felt like she was avoiding answering him.

"That's a little detail I'd rather keep to myself." She lifted her cup up to her face, trying to hide her smile.

"You love him," Chloe said, and Lois snapped her head up, thinking that Chloe had seen right through her, or could hear her heartbeat pick up every time she looked at him. "Come on, Lo! You have to tell me something. I never thought I'd actually see you married."

Lois thought hard for a minute. It took all of her willpower to sit still and not jump into Clark's arms. She missed being there so much she could hardly breathe. "He's the most amazing person you could ever meet. You could pass by him on the street and not even glance his way, but once you get to know him, you realize that he wants to save the whole world. He's an amazing father and he is so uncommonly kind that he pretends to like my cooking."

They all laughed and Chloe gave her a wistful look. She made eye contact with Clark for a brief second. He couldn't imagine Lois being with a guy that didn't stand out the way she did, but with the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about him, he found himself happy for the man she married. He was starting to see that Lois was the kind of woman that could ground the man she was with. He would never say it out loud, didn't even want to think it, but Lois Lane's husband was a lucky man.

"And you were my Maid-of-Honor of course." Lois smiled brightly at Chloe.

"I can't wait to be here," She said, touched. Lois laughed so hard she spilled coffee on the table.

"What is it?" Asked Clark.

Lois hesitated, but decided to answer. "Actually, you went into labor at my reception. I spent the first part of my honeymoon telling _you _to push!" She went back to howling laughter, Chloe scowled, and Clark blushed.

"What's your son like?" He asked.

"He's a miniature version of his father." She smiled affectionately. "Actually…"

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her cellphone. Chloe eyed it in amazement. "What _is _that?"

"It's an iPhone 8. The first one will come out in a few years." She turned on the screen and handed it over to Clark. Chloe squeezed next to him to see it too. On the screen was a little boy reading a newspaper. It was taken from behind, so they couldn't see his face, but his head was tilted as though in deep concentration and his little hands clutched the sides of the paper like a grown man. The black haired boy in a blue shirt and pull up reminded Clark of himself a little and he couldn't help but smile at the picture.

"Aww," Chloe cooed. "Already interested in the news like his aunt."

"That's how daddy reads the paper. Whatever daddy does, Jase does." Her breath caught in her throat at the way Clark was looking at their son. It made her miss her baby so much more. "Okay Smallville, enough stalling. Time to go up north."

Clark hesitated, but saw that though he was reluctant to admit it, Lois was right. Talking to Jor-el was the best place to start. He was about to agree to take her when his cellphone buzzed. "It's Lana. She wants me to come to Metropolis."

_God forbid Lana not have someone to hang out with in a university of 30,000 people, _Lois thought bitterly. Compared to the man he became, Clark was acting like useless, lovesick puppy that couldn't see past cornfields and dark haired vanilla. Here she was, stuck in the past with no way home, and he had to drop everything at her beck and call. Honestly, she hadn't given this much thought to Lana since she returned at the wrong moment at Chloe's first wedding. Instead of unleashing her anger at him though, she just rolled her eyes and said, "How could I forget _this_ Summer?"

"We'll come too," Chloe said.

"What?" Lois shrieked. She couldn't believe Chloe was siding with him.

"Lois, I have to get back to Met U. I was only down for the weekend."

"So why do I have to go?" The last thing she wanted to do was be around a bunch of sweaty, half-drunk college kids and watch her husband make goo-goo eyes at Lana Lang.

"Well I think you should stick close to us for now. We need to figure out what to tell people before we unleash you on the world. Plus, we can do some research at the library." She sounded a bit too over enthusiastic about this. Lois rolled her eyes. Of course Chloe would get excited about research.

The ride down to Metropolis was much more enjoyable with Chloe and Lois riding in her car and Clark following in his truck. The conversation between them was strained though. Chloe didn't know what was okay to ask and Lois didn't exactly remember all the events of 2005.

They went straight to the campus library after fighting for a parking spot. The library had six different levels; the closer you got to the top, the more silent it was and the more moldy it smelled. It took the two of them an hour to sort through copies of old files complete with newspaper clips and the police reports to back them up. To look farther than the Reagan Era would take a few more hours.

"Tell me what's wrong with the internet again?" Lois asked, shaking dust out of her hair and sneezing. With as much as Chloe was on a computer, she couldn't comprehend why they were taking all this time to sort through all these papers. Especially since they were just fishing for something that would start them in the right direction of proper research.

"Because a lot of these police reports are sealed now, but were forgotten up here. I could probably hack into the MetPD to find them, but this is safer for the time being." Lois wanted to throw something at her. Safe was not her style. "Look, I found this file of a man that went missing for a year and when they found him he had aged at least ten."

Lois grabbed the filed and scanned through it. Ten years on the job had trained her to catch and analyze details quickly. "I would blame that on the drugs, Chlo. On the bottom of the page it says they referred him to a clinic after processing him."

"Where do you even see that?" Chloe said, squinting hard at the page.

"The number is 785-222-5326." Lois explained while looking at other files. "The last five digits spell out 'clean.'"

"Well I see your spelling has at least improved." She laughed. She had to give her cousin props. She was good.

Just then Chloe got a text from Clark saying he was ready to head back to Smallville. They quickly and carefully put the files back and walked across campus to meet him outside of the dorm building. Lois was uneasy about leaving Chloe and being alone with Clark. She didn't like uncomfortable silences and she had never been one to not say what was on her mind, especially in front of Clark.

"What took you so long?" Chloe asked as they reached him.

Lois wanted to shove her fingers in her ears. She absolutely did not want to know what he and his girlfriend were doing that took up all that time. She had never particularly disliked Lana, in fact they had been somewhat friends around this time, but right now she had the strong urge to climb some stairs and deliver a hardy kick to Lana's pretty face.

"I had to pick up some tractor parts and I got some Chinese food for Lana."

She felt her anger rise to nuclear level and she just couldn't contain it anymore. "Really?" She yelled. "Don't you think there are things a little more important right now, like I don't know, putting me back in the right time?"

Not wanting to be caught in the middle, Chloe gave Lois then Clark a good bye hug, whispering in his ear, "Good luck."

She was still yelling at him and his stupid "other brain" when they reached the truck. She only stopped after they got in and she noticed something very strange as he reached for the ignition.

"Give me your hand," She said quickly.

Clark hesitated, thinking for a second that she wanted to hold his hand. "What?"

Impatiently she snatched his arm and held his hand a few inches from her eyes. On his index finger was a deep, nasty cut.

"How did that happen?" She said, worried.

"I'm not sure, I just touched this rock someone sent to Lana."

"We need to go back and figure out what it is." She said firmly, starting to get out of the truck. He grabbed her arm to stop her.

"It's not a big deal, Lois. Let's just get back to the farm."

"Not a big deal?" She said, incredulously. "I don't know of many things that could do that to you. Do you?" His silence answered her question.

"Fine. Hold on." He disappeared and she waited about a minute, debating wether or not to get out too, when he returned. "She wasn't there. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Let me drive," She said, fiercely.

"Lois," He said in a stern voice. "Don't you think you're being a bit dramatic?"

Immediately he regretted saying that. Lois glared at him, and he thought that she might actually hit him. He pulled back slightly, preparing to move at super-speed, afraid she would break her hand if she did hit him.

"You are such…an…an-" Words failed her. "You're being irresponsible! And that's coming from me! You should be ashamed of yourself!"

He rolled his eyes. He had been wrong earlier. She was still the same bossy, stuck up, and rude Lois he knew.

She was still visibly upset as he started to head back to Smallville. Angry, exhausted, and lulled by the easy ride, she fell fast asleep. An hour later she was violently awakened by the jerking of the truck and Clark shouting, "What's wrong with you?"

He was speeding and swerving all over the road. She looked back to see if anyone was following behind them, but the road was clear. "What are you doing?" She shouted.

"Some psycho is trying to run us off the road!" He shouted back, not looking at her.

"There's no one there, Clark!"

Suddenly he turned the wheel sharply to the left and she felt the truck start to roll. He pulled her into his arms, snapping the seatbelt and covering her body with his. While the truck was rolling though, he head hit his chest with enough force to cause her to black out. He pulled her out of the ruined vehicle and gently laid her in the grass. He ran up the hill to get another glimpse of the black truck that ran him off the road, but it had already disappeared.

His phone started to vibrate. It was an unknown number. "Hello?"

"I know who you are."

Lois again woke up on the couch at the Kent farm. She gently prodded a large knot on the side of her head and hoped she didn't have a concussion. She pulled herself into a sitting position when Mr. Kent walked into the room. He was still tense and didn't quite trust her yet.

"Where's Clark?" She said in an urgent voice.

"He's in class at Central Kansas."

"He needs to get back here. Something's seriously wrong with him." Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "He's hallucinating."

Martha walked in with an ice pack for Lois while Jonathan continued to eye Lois with distrust. "Just what do you mean?"

"He seems to think someone is after him. We need to get him back here before he causes any more accidents." She grabbed the house phone before realizing that she didn't know what his current phone number was. She handed it to Martha, with pleading eyes.

"His phone is turned off," Martha said after trying to call.

"When is he supposed to get out of class?"

"Twenty minutes ago," Martha answered quickly.

"Alright, so if he's still worried he would go to Chloe. I'll try to call her." She said, reaching for the phone. Chloe didn't pick up her cell, so Lois tried her at the planet. No answer again. "Oh mother of a goat herder!" Martha flashed her a confused look. "Had to get creative with the language in front of Jase."

"Hopefully whatever's in his system will wear out before he gets home." Said Jonathan. "I'm heading to the barn tot get some work done."

After he walked out of the living room Lois followed Martha into the kitchen to help her fold laundry.

"Mrs. Kent," Lois began, but Martha cut her off.

"Lois I think it would be more appropriate for you to call me Martha now, don't you think?"

"What do you mean now?"

"You're married to my son, aren't you?" She said, softly. Lois froze. Had she let something slip without thinking about it? "It's okay Lois, I won't say a word to anyone. I've been married a long time and I know that kind of love when I see it."

Lois smiled at her and started to confirm Martha's statement when Clark burst in looking around wildly. He was sweating and had dark circles under his dangerous looking eyes. Lois instinctively took a step toward him, to touch him, but thought better of it.

"Clark! Your father and I have been waiting for you to get home."

"I just saw him in the barn with Lionel Luthor."

"Clark, why don't you sit down?" Lois spoke to him as if to an angry pit bull. He stared at her hard as if he had never seen her before.

"You want an interview from me don't you?" He stepped toward her and grabbed both of her arms.

"You are not going to manhandle me, Clark Kent!" She struggled in his grip, to the point where the pain was almost unbearable, but she managed to break free.

Clark glared at her furiously. In his mind she was making her snide comments, thanking him for her pulitzer. At the sound of her yells, Jonathan had run from the barn into the house.

"Clark! What are you doing?" But Clark didn't listen. He snatched his father's jacket open and grabbed a LuthorCorp envelope.

"See? He got this from Lionel Luthor. He's helping him put me in the lab." Clark started waving the paper around in the air.

"Clark, Lionel stopped by to talk about the campaign. Sure, he brought me Lex's balance sheet so I could know what I was up against." Jonathan glanced over at Lois and Martha. He was starting to see why Lois was being so urgent earlier.

"What about the money?" There was an edge to Clark's voice. Lois had only heard it a few times and it scared the hell out of her.

"What money?" Asked Martha.

"This money!" Clark waved around the balance sheets.

"Clark you need to calm down!" Lois said stepping forward. She immediately became the target of his accusations.

"You're working for Lex aren't you?" He grabbed her by the throat and held her high in the air. She clawed at his hands, feeling like she was going to lose consciousness. Jonathan grabbed his shoulder to get his attention. Clark threw Lois across the room and into a wall. Martha shouted and ran to her side.

"Lois!" Jonathan shouted. Clark turned on him next, pinning him to the wall by his throat.

"No more lies. Tell me the truth."

"Son, put me down. We can talk about this." Jonathan said, but Clark had a look on his face as if Jonathan had hit him. Suddenly he felt the familiar pain of kryptonite and dropped his father. He turned around to see Chloe, holding one like a shield.

"Clark please, I don't want to do this. Just calm down!" She said in a shaky voice.

Clark looked around at all of them and said "You're all in this together."

In a whoosh he was gone, taking the front door with him.

Lois woke up in the wrong place for the third time in 36 hours. This time she found herself with the same splitting headache, but in a hospital bed instead of the Kent's couch. She was hooked up to an IV and her mouth felt like it had been glued shut.

"Clark," She said, trying to sit up. Her cousin pushed her back down softly.

"It's okay, Lois. Everyone is fine." Chloe tried to reassure her, but Lois wasn't buying it.

"What happened?" Chloe filled her in on how Clark attacked Lex and Lana after he left the farm. She also informed Lois that she had two broken ribs and a concussion.

"I wish hospitals had a system like sky-miles." She joked, as her doctor came in.

"Miss Lane, how are you feeling?" The middle aged doctor asked, looking through her chart.

"Wonderful." She said, sarcastically.

"You're very lucky you sustained such minor injuries after the accident you were in today." He started to give her instructions on how to take care of her broken ribs and head. It was a speech she had heard many times. "Something's off about your blood work though."

"What do you mean?" She couldn't think of anything that would raise a red-flag to a doctor.

"I'm not sure, Miss Lane. I'm sending a sample to the lab at Metropolis General and I'll call you with the results in a few weeks. Feel better." He smiled and walked out, holding the door open for Clark. She subconsciously flinched away from him, causing her to gasp in pain. He wore a painfully guilty expression on his face.

"I'm going to run out for some coffee." Chloe said, leaving them alone with each other.

"I'm so sorry, Lois." He sat in the chair across from her, grabbing the rails of the hospital bed and hanging his head. There were a million things she wanted to say to him at that moment, but the only way she knew to let it out was to place her hand over his and squeeze it.

He looked up at her, startled, but didn't pull away. "It's okay, Smallville. I know you would never hurt me on purpose."

He looked into her eyes, searching for lies or fear. He could see though, she had forgiven him. He smiled brightly at her, thankful that she was such a good friend.

"Could you fill me in on what did that to you, though? It's always good to know for the future."


	5. Chapter 5

_Lois was having a difficult time finding her way around the apartment. Not that it was too big, but because everything was child-proof. Clark had informed her before he moved to the couch the previous night, that Jase got into everything. Literally. The kid even climbed the kitchen counter and bathroom sink to play with things he shouldn't. _

_Taking a shower had been a disaster. It took her ten minutes to find her shampoo, another five to figure out how to turn the water on, and when she finally figured it all out, she slipped on a fallen toy. It had been a miracle that she hadn't fallen. Getting dressed was just as bad. Her closet was full of dress pants and business outfits. She only had two pairs of jeans, one having a stretchy pregnancy band on it. To top it all off Clark left all of his goofy flannel shirts in there._

_After she had found something to wear she walked into their living room to find Clark, in glasses, reading the paper and Jase watching cartoons beside him. A delicious smell mixed with coffee was coming from the kitchen. The caffeine was calling out to her like a long-lost friend. _

_Before she could make it to the kitchen though, Clark was in front of her, handing her a mug. She flashed him a distrustful look, but took a sip. It was perfect, just the way she liked it. _

_"__G'morning mommy!" Jase shrieked, holding up a fist full of smushed strawberries. Lois was horrified. It looked like a scene right out of a horror movie._

_ "__Uh…morning, kid." She said, looking to Clark for assistance. He shrugged and motioned for her to sit on the couch between them. She reluctantly sat, ready to bolt if he tried to rub anything sticky on her. _

_"__Look!" He said, with a huge grin that annoyingly reminded her of who his father was. On his plate was little blueberry pancakes in the shape of diamonds, with messy whipped cream S's drawn onto them. "Daddy made Superman!"_

_"__What's Superman?" She turned to ask Clark, but his head was cocked to the side and he was squinting at something. _

_To the left of her Jase was giggling uncontrollably. "Daddy's-" _

_"__I'm going to go get him a napkin." Clark said nodding at the red and pink mess beside her. Lois also missed the stern look he gave Jase behind her back. She glanced down at him, heard wooshing sound and when she turned back around Clark was gone. _Great, _she thought._ The ventilation is going bad.

_Lois and her son stared at each other a moment in silence. What now? The kid knew what to do though, and handed Lois one of his pancakes. She smiled back at him while he started watching TV again. _

_"__Thanks, little Smallville." _

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

_Clark was having a horrible morning. Lois had tried to make him sleep on the couch last night, which was horribly comfortable. He spent most of the night out on patrol instead, listening in on them more frequently than he usually did. It was a good thing he did too, because he narrowly saved Lois from slipping in the shower. It was difficult, using super speed while shutting his eyes. Not that he hadn't see Lois in all her glory many times before, but this time he knew she wouldn't appreciate it, and he was trying to be a gentleman. _

_Jase was awake much earlier than usual (he had inherited Lois's sleeping habits) and questioned him more relentlessly than any fully human child could. Clark had hoped that Jase wouldn't be burdened with his Kryptonian responsibilities, but Jase had shown his inherited traits even in the womb, which had resulted in a very dangerous pregnancy for Lois._

_Taking a cue from his parents, he and Lois raised Jase to protect the family secret and to try not use his powers, unless Clark was home to teach him the proper way. They had taught him never to say anything about Clark's true identity as Superman (there was no real way to hide it from him), but his son did get very excited whenever he was on the news. He even pretended to be Clark when he was playing, but making sure it was only at their apartment, incase the familiar dark hair and blue eyes made anyone curious. _

_Younger Lois being around complicated that family dynamic. Clark explained to Jase, in the most kid-friendly way, not to use his abilities or talk about the family secret in front of mommy. His son did not like that one bit. He threw a temper tantrum that Clark was sure Lois would wake up to. Thankfully, blueberry pancakes, the threat of time-out, and fatherly love calmed him down long enough for Clark to grab the spare wood from the closet and fix the coffee table. _

_Returning from his mugging save in eleven seconds flat, he turned to find Lois still sitting with Jase and eating one of his special pancakes. He decided that the best thing to do was call Chloe before Lois decided to go out into the world and look for Chloe herself. _

_"__Clark what is it?" Chloe answered on the second ring. _

_"__We have big problem." He ran into the other room and changed his clothes with only one arm. _

_"__Define problem." He could hear her kids in the background. _

_Ever since Chloe and Oliver had started a family, Chloe had hung up her side-kick gear and she was not Clark's go-to for information or help anymore. Now, he only called for family get togethers, or when he needed someone to reign in "Mad-Dog Lane." _

_"__I think Lois time-travelled." _

_"__She's gone?" There was a note of panic in Chloe's voice. "She disappeared?"_

_"__Well…not exactly. I think you should get over here." _

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

_The kid was tugging on Lois's shirt and would not take the hint that she didn't want to play with him right now. Jase was not happy that he wasn't getting the attention he was looking for, and decided to start piling his toys into her lap. _

_Suddenly, she turned to him and gave him a threatening look. He froze immediately and stared up at her with a guilty expression. Tears pooled in his blue-grey eyes and he hurled himself into her chest. _

_"__Ouch." She said, rubbing his spot where his head hit her. She didn't know much about young children but she didn't think they were supposed to be that strong. He stayed curled up in her lap and she had no idea what to do. She didn't know how to comfort him and the poor kid seemed terrified of making her angry. She got the feeling she was the disciplinary parent. _

_There was a knock on the door. It got louder and she waited for Clark to answer it. She was about to yell for him (wherever he was in the small apartment), when she realized that it was her house too. She opened the door to find a greek god staring down at her with a grin. _

_"__Legs! What did you do to your hair?" The man laughed and walked into the apartment. Jase jumped down from the couch and ran over to him._

_"__Lee Lee!" Jase squealed. The man picked up her son and swung him around a few times. In the back of Lois's mind she knew she should be concerned about a stranger picking him up, even if he did seem to know the guy, but at that moment all she could do was check out the gorgeous blond. _

_"__Oh good," Clark said walking into the room. "Uncle Oliver's…here."_

_Clark stopped mid-sentence when he noticed the look Lois was giving him. Jealousy flared up in him and he resisted the urge to drop Oliver off in the middle of the Atlantic and leave him there. _

_"__Everything alright, Lois?" Oliver asked her, as he put Jase down. _

_"__You know me?" Clark recognized her flirty voice. _

_"__We need to talk." Clark grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the other room, with a little more force than necessary. He knew it wasn't Oliver's fault that Lois was attracted to him, they even used to date, but Lois was his wife and he had a right to be a little territorial. _

_"__That's not Lois." He said, before Oliver could ask him what his problem was. _

_"__You feeling alright, Clark?" Oliver asked, amused. _

_"__Well, it is Lois, but not _my _Lois. That's Lois from the past." Oliver laughed, not buying it. Clark continued in a serious tone. " She has no idea who you are, Oliver. She hasn't met you yet." _

_"__You're joking." He waited for Clark to tell the punch-line but when it didn't come Oliver realized he was totally serious. "That doesn't make any sense! How did it happen?" Oliver peeked into the living room, to get another look at Lois. _

_"__I'm not sure. I need you and Chloe to help me figure it out and fix the situation." _

_"__Oh man. I'm sorry. So, how did she take the living arrangement?" Oliver said, slightly amused again._

_"__Let's not talk about that."_

_"__Chloe, thank God!" Lois screamed and Clark heard Chloe cry out. He and Oliver walked back into the living room to see Lois squeezing the life out of her cousin, who was dangerously off-balance. _

_"__Wow, um, Lois?" Chloe said, holding Lois at arm's length away to stare at her. "My God, how old are you?" _

_"__I'm twenty, it's the wrong decade, and I married Richie Cunningham!" Lois dramatically pointed to Clark and Jase scrambled behind the couch afraid she might do that to him too. Chloe turned to Clark, speechless. _

_"__Come on," Clark said with a nod, indicating that she follow him. _

_"__Okay. Ollie, keep Lois company." Chloe called, out as she left. Clark glared furiously at her, but remained silent. _

_"__How did this happen?" Chloe said, when they had barely made it out of earshot. _

_"__I have no idea. All of a sudden I woke up with her in our bed, screaming at me." He ran his hand through his hair. _

_"__That's unusual?" _

_"__This is serious, Chloe. I have no idea what to do with her. She knows nothing about her life, or our lives. And she's seen me without glasses hundreds of times. There's no way she's not going to put two and two together. And it's not like I can hide it from her, my face is on every news channel. I means she's the one who won a pulitzer for 'Why the World Needs Superman.' She still has the article framed in our office for God's sake!" _

_"__Clark, calm down. Let's focus on sending her back, before you try to accommodate her into our lives. Is there any sign of our Lois?"_

_"__None, I searched everywhere last night when I wasn't saving people." _

_"__You should ask Jor-el or maybe Jon. Would she have gotten a hold of the Legion Ring?" _

_"__I doubt it. I keep it at the Fortress so things like this don't happen." _

_Chloe put a hand on her shoulder to comfort him. "You can't blame this on yourself." He looked up at her to speak, but she cut him off. "No, you can't. Go to the fortress and find out all you can. I'm sure Lois, both Lois's, will be fine. She's a fighter and she'll fight to get back to both of you. You know that." _

_"__That's why I married her." He smiled. "I just never thought I'd have to go back to living without her by my side. I hate lying to her, and you know I'm not very good at it. She can see right through me, Chloe."_

_Chloe bit her lip. She knew he was right. Lois was never going to let it go until she found out everything she wanted to know. "In the mean time we need to convince people that nothing's different about her." _

_"__No one is ever going to believe that." He said, wearily. _

_"__We could teach her. Give her a course on Lois Lane-Kent 101." She laughed. _

_"__She is going to have a melt-down and end up punching me." _

_"__Well it wouldn't exactly hurt you, would it?" She said, encouragingly. He gave her a lost-puppy look. _

_"__Okay, okay. You super speed and get her some hair dye and I'll-" He disappeared in the middle of her sentence and was back in a few seconds hold out a box of hair color. "No, no this is the wrong color. It's too dark. Get the one that says 'rich mahogany brown.'" _

_He rolled his eyes but ran to the store again anyway. They all looked brown to him and he didn't see what the big difference was, she wasn't going to like it either way. _

_He and Chloe went back into the living room to find Lois and Oliver laughing with each other. It took Chloe longer than it should have to see what was going on. When she realized it though, she laughed._

_"__What's so funny?" Clark snapped._

_"__Lois has a crush on Ollie. It's cute." _

_"__Chloe, it's not cute. At all." He folded his arms across his chest. She laughed harder._

_"__We have some things we need to discuss, Mrs. Kent." Chloe said before sitting on the couch, in the middle of Lois and Oliver. _

_Lois looked around, confused. "Oh, you mean me. Don't call me that." _

_"__That's who you are now," Chloe said ,a bit smugly. Lois glared at her, but Chloe held up a hand to stop her. "At least that's who you're going to have to pretend to be until we get you home."_

_"__But why, Chloe?" Lois whined. _

_"__Because President Luthor loves nothing more than strange experiments and we don't want you ending up on a lab table somewhere."_

_"__President Luthor?" She was quiet for a second, thinking. "Lex Luthor is president? Of America? No way!" _

_She looked around to see the three adults nodding. Jase looked up from where he was playing. "Yes, the biscuit eater is president." _

_"__What did you just say?" Oliver asked, with a smile._

_"__Mama says present Luthor is a son of a biscuit eater." _

_"__President," Clark corrected. "And don't say stuff mommy says." _

_Lois stared between him and Clark. The kid was adorable, repeating her like that, but it still freaked her out. "So what else does Lois…Kent do?" _

_"__Well I'm sure Clark told you that you're a reporter at the Daily Planet?" Chloe asked her and she nodded. "Do you know anything about reporting?" _

_"__Not really." Lois shrugged. She wasn't really interested in it. _

_"__Hold on," Clark pretended to walk to their bedroom, but dashed to their office and grabbed Lois's rules of reporting, which he still had framed. He handed them to her when he got back and smiled at her. "You gave me this on my first day."_

_Lois glanced over it. "You kept this? And framed it?" He nodded, slightly embarrassed. "That's so dorky."_

_"__Oh, I forgot. When you go back to work, you need to go by your maiden name. You and Clark like to keep your relationship professional at work." Chloe explained, quickly, before Clark could say anything back to her. _

_"__Thank God," She said. "Anything else?" _

_The three of them told her everything they thought she needed to know including names, birthdays, and certain events. She took Jonathan's death very hard. _

_"__I just spoke to him yesterday." She said, sadly. She grabbed Clark's hand and squeezed it gently. _

_She quickly dropped it, when Oliver said, "Looks like something's are going back to normal." _

_"__Ha. No. Not now. Not …ever." She glanced at Jase, and shut up. _Stupid evidence…I mean…kid_, she thought._

_"__There's just one thing left," Chloe said, pulling out the hair dye._

_"__What the hell is that?" Lois said in a ferocious voice. _

_"__You need to look, well, more like you do now." Chloe said, apologetically. _

_"__No. I am _not _doing that." She stood up and started to walk away._

_"__Come on, Lois. You look good as a brunette!" Oliver said, loudly. Lois smiled at him. Clark glared at Oliver again. They were so busy filling Lois in on her life that they completely forgot to tell her about their marriage and children._

_"__Chloe, how could you forget to mention that Oliver is your _husband?" _He said, emphasizing "husband" very loudly._

_"__Oliver is your husband?" Lois said, slightly disappointed. _

_"__Yes, yes he is." Chloe said, while Oliver wrapped an arm around her. _

_"__Damn, Chloe. Good job," Lois said, winking at them. Clark was suddenly very thankful that he mastered the art of self-control years ago. Poor Oliver would probably be shark food right about now. _


	6. Chapter 6

It had been three weeks and Lois's ribs had finally stopped making her miserable. Finding a routine in all the madness had also put her into a better mood, even if she was making coffee at the Talon instead of chasing leads. She had decided not to move out of the Kent farm. She told them it was because she needed more time to adjust, but really she just didn't want to be alone again.

Her day consisted of waking up, going to work with Martha, making polite but awkward conversation with Clark and Jonathan during dinner, begging Clark to take her to the fortress (which he refused every night because she was still "hurt"), then she would obsess with finding a way home until she fell into an exhausted sleep. But finally, after three long weeks, there was no possible reason for him to avoid taking her.

But, she should've known that he would make himself scarce when she was ready to go. All day she waited for him, but every time they made eye contact he remembered a fence that needed mending, a cow that needed milking, or a part that needed picking up in Grandville. He didn't even come in for dinner, which left Lois by herself with the Kents. Jonathan was just beginning to relax around her and Martha had tried desperately to soften him up. The two of them had developed an even closer bond than they had before. Unbeknownst to Lois, Martha had scolded Clark for not doing his best to help her get home.

At half-past nine, Lois got fed up with his antics and marched up to the barn. He was deep in thought, looking out the barn window and up into the sky. There were so many things weighing on him, so many mistakes he was running from. And then there was Lois, who wanted to force him into facing all of those demons.

"What are you so worried about?" Lois asked, sitting on the couch behind him.

"What are you doing up here, Lois?" He asked, turning reluctantly to face her.

"The same thing I've been trying to do for weeks. Go home."

"I know what you want from me Lois, but-"

"But what?" She interrupted. "You're not going to help me? You're going to sit up here brooding in your loft and leave me stranded here? Leave my husband without a wife and my son to grow up without a mother?"

"It's not like that!"

"Then what is it like? Because the man I know wouldn't turn his back on me just because he was afraid or ashamed of something." She jumped up and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm not that man, Lois. I don't know if I ever will be." She could hear the despair in his voice and was startled. She couldn't remember him ever being so open with his feelings, at least not during this time.

"What is this really about? I know as much as you love having my wonderful, charming self around, you want to set things right."

"Lois…did anyone close to me die?" He asked, suddenly. She took a few steps away from him. The gears in her mind were working in overdrive. Did Clark have some kind of premonition about his father's death? They had talked about Clark feeling guilty for Jonathan's death, and how it held him back for a long time, but she had always assumed it was because Clark always found ways to make everything his fault. She was almost scared to know the answer.

"Did something happen?" She stepped closer to him, resisting the urge to wrap him up in a hug. He looked back out of the window. "You can trust me."

"It's Jor-el. I disobeyed him and he took away my powers. I died Lois, and he brought me back, but at the price of exchanging my life for someone I love." When he looked back at her, he felt as if she could see right to his soul. She slowly moved closer to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Clark thought he should be unnerved by her gentle touch, but until that moment, he hadn't realized how much he needed that comfort. He hugged her back and they stayed like that for a few moments until she pulled back. Lois tried to discreetly wipe the tears from her eyes, but Clark saw them anyway.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm sorry. I'm just emotional right now." She said, horsely.

"Please tell me, Lois. Did someone die because of me?" Clark said, desperately.

"No one died because of you Clark." She said firmly, but there was still doubt etched onto his face. "Is that why you've been avoiding taking me to the fortress? You don't want to face Jor-el?"

"He and I aren't exactly on friendly terms right now. The more I've thought about it, the more I think it's a bad decision. He could hurt you, Lois."

"That's a chance I have to take, Smallville. I was raised to believe that sometimes love requires sacrifice, and if risking being turned into a popsicle for the rest of my life is what I have to do to be with my family again, then I will not back down. Unless of course you have some kind of Kyptonian time-travel umbrella in the attic?"

"Actually, it's in the storm cellar." He smiled brightly at her. She was about to give him a nasty retort about kicking his bullet-poof ass, when the barn started shaking violently and a burst of light tore open the sky.

"What the hell was that?" Lois asked as she steadied herself, but Clark was already gone. She ran through the barn and outside to find Clark holding on to Martha and groceries scattered everywhere.

"What happened?" Lois asked, breathlessly when she finally made it. Clark shrugged and helped his mother into the house. Lois picked up the fallen groceries and made her way inside. Martha sat with a glass of water and some crackers.

"You okay?" She asked her mother-in-law. Martha smiled weakly at her.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. I feel much better now." Lois nodded in understanding and started putting the groceries away. Clark gave her a look that said to come with him and she silently followed out the door.

"She said doesn't remember that bright light." He said, without even waiting for the door to shut behind her.

"That can't be good."

"Lois, if anything happens to her…"

"Now might be a good time to hang up your daddy issues and get some answers." She said, forcefully. Clark nodded his head, but knew that wasn't where he would go. He would ask Professor Fine what was going on tomorrow.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

The next morning Lois woke up to find Martha buzzing around the house as usual. Lois eyed her curiously, looking for any signs of abnormality.

"Morning, Lois. I'm just finishing up and then we can head out." She said sweetly, as she cleaned off the kitchen counter.

"You know, you had a pretty scary night last night. Why don't you hang here for the day and I can manage the Talon." Lois tried to convince her. But Martha wasn't one to let someone else bare her responsibilities.

"Don't be silly, Lois. I'm perfectly fine." Martha shrugged her off.

"Really, Mrs-…Martha. You should stay here today, just incase you faint again. I've managed the Talon on my own before." Martha pursed her lips, but agreed. She couldn't help but feel that if anyone knew the answers, it would be Lois.

When Lois got there, she was surprised to find the place flooded with artificial lights and swarming with reporters. She couldn't believe her eyes. Lex Luthor was sitting in the middle of all the chaos, as always, taking pictures and answering questions for his Senate campaign.

She hadn't actually seen Lex yet, but watching him now brought a flood of anger through her. After everything he had done over the past six years to the world, and to Clark, here he was sitting in the coffee shop where Martha Kent works, looking more arrogant than ever. If she wasn't so afraid of changing the future, she might be tempted to get rid of him.

Lois distinctly remembered this argument with Lex. He had called her a muffin-meddling-college-drop-out and it had lit a fire inside of her that inspired her to seize the day and investigate him. She knew that she should do everything here exactly the same, as to not change anything, but she had to face the fact that she was not 20 years old anymore. Customers at the Talon only noticed her enough to complement her hair dye-job, but not enough to notice extreme differences about her. Lex was a whole other story. She should do her best to avoid drawing attention to herself.

"How bout at latte?" Lex said, behind her.

"Yep." She said softly, not turning around.

"What, no snappy comments about where I set up shop?" He was trying to egg her on and she had no idea why.

"Your ethical code is your own business Lex." She made the latte and continued to not look at him. When she finally turned to give him his coffee, she found him staring at her intently. She turned away again.

"I'm surprised at you Lois. The Kents take you in every time you mess up and find your self homeless. They treat you practically like family and you show virtually no loyalty towards them."

"What are you trying to get out of this Lex? You're nothing but a pseudo-politician trying to buy his way into office. Do you really think you can win this race against a man like Jonathan Kent? Come on, Lex. You have enough dirt on you to create a land mind the size of Texas." She whirled around at him and mentally cursed could see it in his eyes that he knew. He knew that something was wrong with her. Her damn big mouth and fiery temper had gotten her into trouble again.

"Then take a shovel and start digging. I have nothing to hide. But the way Lois, did you have a rough night? You look a little tired." He smirked at her.

"You know I did have a long night helping Mr. Kent write his acceptance speech." She said, smirking right back at him.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Jonathan called around noon to tell her that Martha had been sent to the hospital. She frantically asked him what was wrong but he told her that the doctors had no clue what was causing her illness or how to help her. She left the Talon early after putting the right waitresses in charge and rushed home to be with Martha.

Lois found her laying on the couch clutching Kryptonite to to her chest. That was well, weird. Very weird. She walked into the kitchen to find Jonathan, looking disheveled in a way that she had never seen before.

"What happened while I was gone?"

"There's a virus spreading through her body, shutting down her nervous system." Tears welled up in his eyes and he turned away from her. She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently.

"She's going to make it out of this. Trust me." She smiled at him. He remembered then that he was talking to a time-traveller.

"Thank you, Lois. Really." An unspoken understanding passed between them then. He finally trusted her, and she knew it.

She walked in to sit with Martha and stopped. A headache hit her full force and she felt faint. She shook it off and sat in a chair near Martha. She looked up at Lois and smiled weakly.

"How you holding up?" She leaned forward and felt a sharp, stabbing pain in he abdomen. She leaned back again, silently worrying that maybe she was going to be the next woman laying on that couch.

"As best I can." Lois could tell that she was in an incredible amount of pain.

"You know, I never visited my mother in the hospital when she was sick, but my dad told me that it always helped her when he told her stories like how they met, or when I was two and flushed one of his medals down the toilet." Martha grinned at that. "I was wondering if you'd like to hear about me and Clark's first attempt at a date."

"Yes, I really would." Lois began to dive into the tale about how Clark asked her to a monster tuck rally that he never showed up to, until Martha fell peacefully to sleep. As she got up to find out where Clark was, she noticed that Martha's meteor rock was glowing green like it did whenever Clark was exposed to it. Perhaps this "virus" wasn't exactly from around here.

She walked out of the house and immediately felt better. It cleared her head long enough to realize that she would have to take matters into her own hands. She called Clark twice before he answered.

"Hey, where are you?" She asked.

"Right outside of class. I'll be home in a little bit." She could tell that he was trying to get her off the phone quickly.

"Where's the key to your spaceship?"

"Why?" He hissed.

"I have an idea about how to help your mother, but I need to find it quickly." She had already started walking to the barn, having an inkling of where it would be.

"Hidden in a desk drawer in the barn. What are you going to do Lo-" She hung up on him before he finished. Rude, yes, but effective. She rummaged through the draw, and found it laying on top of a picture of Lana. She rolled her eyes. How long was he going to keep that thing?

She sped all the way to the Kawatche Caves and used the key to open the hidden room that would take her to the fortress. She used the key and felt the tingling rush of being pulled into the arctic. She felt a tad guilty but she pushed at feeling aside. She would worry about Clark's wrath later, right now lives were at stake.

Lois knew her way around the ice palace, especially after Jace's Kryptonian name-day ceremony a few year's ago. They had chosen Van-El, which was a combination of Lara and Jor-El's houses. It all felt like a million years ago now.

It didn't take her long to realize that she was not alone.

"Stab it into the consol. It will trigger a self-distruct mechanism. Jor-el and his fortress will be forever gone." A man's voice said. She recognized it instantly and ran to where Clark stood, holding a dark crystal.

"What is it?" Clark asked.

"It was created to stop your father."

"Clark, no!" She screamed.

"Lois? How did you get here?" He yelled back.

She turned towards the man. "Get away from him."

"Who is this Kal-El? She needs to leave so your mother can be saved." Fine glared at her. He had no files on her, and yet she seemed to recognize him as a threat to Kal-El.

Clark grabbed her by the arm and started to pull her to the set of crystals that would take her home.

"Clark stop! You can't trust him, he's trying to kill you!"

"Lois, that's Professor Fine. He's another Krypontian and he's trying to free me from Jor-El."

"No, Clark, that's not Professor Fine. That's not a Krypotian. That's not even a man." Suddenly Fine was in front of her, practically nose to nose.

"Then who…?" Clark looked between both of them.

"Brainiac."

Brainiac grabbed her suddenly and she knew he was trying to invade her mind. She struggled away from him, and then found him thrown 30 feet away. Clark stood protectively in front of her, but fell to his knees as Brainiac pulled out a chunk of Kryptonite and moved closer to him. Lois felt awful and faint again, but she stood her up straight and moved in front of Clark.

"Fix his mother and then leave." She said firmly.

"Why would I do that?" he asked, slyly.

"Because I know all about your self-destruct button and if you don't do as I say, it'll be the end of you."

"You're lying."

"Am I?" She answered in Kryptonian.

He gave her a startled look, but continued. "It doesn't matter. Only Kryptonian blood can activate it. Besides, the source of my power isn't in a sole entity."

"I might be human, but Clark isn't. And reprogramming yourself would take a longer time than I think you want to waste, so I suggest you do what I say. Oh, and don't think about vanishing and leaving Martha to die. I know how to track you."

"What are you?" He asked, giving her a disgusted look.

She gave him a threatening look and said, "Clark repeat after me."

"This isn't over by a long shot." He flew away, clenching his fist. He would have to gather information on his human woman and exterminate her.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Brainiac did as Lois requested and Martha was healed. Lois could only remember a few times that she had been this relieved. Lois had offered to make dinner, but with a grimace from everyone else, Martha had resumed her duties.

"How did you know how to do all of that, Lois?" Clark asked when they were alone.

"We had a problem with him before. Well, not him exactly, but Brainiac from another dimension." Clark gave her a look that said she was crazy. "Yeah, it's a long story. But, you know what he said was true, Clark. It's not over. I just gave him another target to focus on."

"I would never let anything happen to you Lois." He said, sincerely. She smiled at him and knew that, as long as he was around everything would be alright.

After dinner, she offered to wash the dishes. Everyone was so happy that they would have another night together that they almost let the threat hanging above them slip from their minds. Lois lost in her own thoughts, dropped and broke a dish, when Clark started blaring music way too loudly.

"Can you turn it down?" She shouted as she covered her ears with soapy hands. Jonathan stepped in front of her and pulled her hands from her head.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, Clark's music just scared me."

"There is no music." Clark said, confused. Lois looked around and then noticed headlights passing down the main road outside. Then it hit her. She started thinking back and counting. She counted three times. Everything made sense now. She thought of every other possibility before drawing a conclusion. There was no mistaking it, time-travel couldn't mess up your cycle.

"Lois, honey, what is it?" Martha asked, touching her arm.

"I'm pregnant."


	7. Chapter 7

_Soon after Lois fell asleep a few nights later, Clark decided to seek Jor-el's guidance from the fortress. He should have gone much earlier, but it was a busy life as a reporter, father, superhero and husband, even if he was temporarily relieved of his husbandly duties. He placed Jase safely in bed with a sleeping Lois, catching a glimpse of her pulling him close and snuggling him, before he flew off. It took him longer than it should've to actually make it to the fortress because he kept having to stop to put out fires and stop bank robberies._

_"__Jor-el I need your help." He said, loudly when he made it._

_"__What is it, my son?" The deep, omnipresent voice of his father's memory answered._

_"__Something's happened to Lois. She's switched places with her past self. I need you to place both of the Lois's in the right time." The moments slipped by silently. It was taking too long. "Father?" _

_"__There is a force blocking my influence. You must bring her here for me to scan her body for traces of the power that put her here." Jor-el's voice had a way of making things seem hopeless sometimes and Clark was at a loss for what to do._

_"__I can't bring her here," He said. "She doesn't know who I am, and I don't want to alter time again by telling her." _

_"__I am sorry, Kal-el. It is the only way."_

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

_Clark flew around for hours thinking of a plan-B. Chloe would've come up with all of the answers instantly if he had asked her, but she had done so much for him already this week that he couldn't ask it of her again. He came up with the solution when he saved a girl in Tokyo from a subway accident. Her fishnets instantly reminded him that aliens weren't the only powerful forces in the universe. _

_Zatanna met him at the top of the Empire State Building, with almost no convincing. "Hey, Blue. How's the family?" _

_"__Not well to tell you the truth." He sighed. He didn't like being so far away from them, but thankfully he was so in tuned to Lois and Jase's heartbeats that he could listen to them with little energy or effort. _

_Surprise lit up her features and she leaned closer to him, exposing a large amount of her chest. Clark backed away, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. "Not that bad."_

_"__Oh," She said, masking her disappointment with a smile. "Then what's with the midnight call?" _

_"__It's sort of hard to explain, but the bottom line is, Lois is twenty years old." _

_Zatanna bust out laughing. "Are you sure that's not wishful thinking? I mean Lois looks great for her age, but she's not that young."_

_"__She _is._ Lois switched places with her past self. That's the best way I know how to say it. I need you to reverse it with some magic." He ignored the look on her face that said he was insane._

_"__Well…that's not something you hear everyday." She said, amused. He turned away from her. "Wait. If you're serious I can try, but I don't think it's a good idea."_

_"__Why not?" He gritted his teeth. He was getting really frustrated now. _

_"__That's really complex and if I screw it up it could kill her, or send her to the wrong time."_

_"__I don't know what else to do. My father couldn't help unless I bring her to my fortress. But if I do, she'll find out I'm superman." He ran a hand through his hair. Zatanna giggled and he glared hard at her._

_"__She's going to find out anyway. You would have to be a complete idiot to not be able to recognize someone's face because they're wearing glasses." He frowned. She was right, he was going to have to take her anyway. "But that, my friend, _is_ something I can help you with."_

_"__What do you mean?" He asked, hopefully. _

_"__I can put a spell on Lois to maker her see a different face and hear a different voice when she sees Superman." Zatanna smiled, triumphantly. _

_"__That's perfect. Thank you." Clark gave her a grateful look._

_"__Yeah, well, I owed you one. But, Clark, it will stop working if she figures out who you are. Be careful." _

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

_Lois woke up much too early for her liking, and with an unexpected guest laying half-way on top of her. She shut her eyes again. Today was the day she had been dreading. No matter how many practice articles she wrote or advice she got from Chloe, she wasn't ready to start her job at the Daily Planet. She shook her son to try and wake him up, but he groaned and turned the other way._

_"__So that's how we're gunna play it, huh?" She shook him harder. "Kid. Wake up." Nothing. _

_"__Jase, time to get off Lois." He groaned again and buried his head into the pillows. Dammit, she thought only teenagers were supposed to be this hard to wake up. Well, teenagers and her…_

_It was her turn to groan. With all of the traits the kid got from Smallville, why did he have to get the angry grizzly bear coming out of hibernation thing from her? Taking a page from the general, she decided to bring out the big guns. _

_"__Jonathan Samuel Kent, get your little butt up now!" It was like she lit the fuse to a fire work. He jumped straight up and looked around. He gave her a worried look before rubbing his eyes. _

_"__Where's daddy?" He said, while yawning. _

_"__Good question. Let's go look for him." She dragged herself up and, surprising herself, picked Jase up and carried him into the living room. Clark wasn't in there. She plopped Jase down on to the couch and told him to hang tight for a minute. She checked the kitchen, bathroom, and Jase's room but Clark was no where to be found._

_"__Smallville?" She called out. _

_"__Yes?" He said behind her. She almost jumped out of her skin. He was carrying a basket full of laundry and was already dressed for work, complete with tie and glasses. He brushed past her, set the basket down and made Jase a bowl of cheerios. He ate silently while Clark motioned for her to follow him into the bedroom. _

_"__I hope you don't mind, but I picked out some clothes for you to wear." He handed her a pencil skirt, a nice blouse, and some killer heels._

_"__I can dress myself, Smallville." She said, with an eye roll. She took the clothes anyway though. _

_"__I know you can, but I don't remember you wear anything but jeans back then. And two pieces…" He drifted off. _

_"__I knew you were checking me out." She said with a smirk. _

_"__You're a very beautiful woman Lois. But I don't think you need me to tell you that." He walked out of the room, leaving her to get dressed with her head spinning like a top. _

_After getting dressed, she glared at herself in the mirror. She didn't look bad, but she didn't feel remotely like herself. She didn't know what to do with her dark hair either. Everything was a huge adjustment. She had teased Clark about petty parties before, but she felt like she was about to throw one. She had never felt so out of place. It was like she had robbed her own life, and it was too much for her to chew. _

_Clark knocked at the door and said "Lois, we need to go or we're going to be late." _

_"__I'm coming." She straightened her clothes and told herself to get a grip before leaving the room. The cheerios had ended up all over Jase's shirt, but Clark had taken care of the mess, got him dressed, packed a bag for Chloe's house, and was ready to go. Lois was definitely impressed with his fathering skills. It was good that the kid had at least one parent he could rely on. _

_Jase stayed with Chloe, her son Robbie, and her little girl, Charlotte while Lois and Clark were at work. Lois had met them last night and had never felt so happy for anyone in her life. Their son was three years older than Jase and looked more like Oliver with blonde hair and a cleft chin. She knew he would grow up to be a handsome man. Charlotte was only eighteen months but already took her looks from Chloe and even Lois, looking like both Moria and Ella, their mothers. She was worried that Chloe would resent her for becoming a reporter and marrying Clark, but Chloe glowed with happiness every time Lois saw her. _

_Lois could hear the screaming even as they got into the elevator. She gave Clark a worried look. "What the hell kind of place are you bringing me to?"_

_He laughed. "That's just our, editor Perry White. You can handle him. Just don't cut him any slack and he won't notice anything different about you." _

_Thing started getting weird the second they stepped out of the elevator. It was like a disease of clumsiness hit Clark full force. He bumped into four people before they got to their office, wouldn't look anyone directly in the eyes, stammered sorries in a quiet voice, and fumbled with his briefcase like it was covered in butter. _

_"__What's wrong with you?" She whispered, angrily. "Have you forgotten how to function in society all of a sudden?" _

_He didn't answer her, just shut the door behind them. He sat down on her side of the desk and logged into her computer and email. "Perry usually tells you specifically what he wants you to cover, but since you've been out he might have sent you emails."_

_He got up and let her sit down. She stared at it strangely. "What is it?" He asked, concerned._

_"__The internet. It looks to different…" He should've see that coming. He forgot about the little things that she didn't know about yet. Suddenly the younger Jimmy Olsen peeked into the office. _

_"__Miss Lane, he wants to see you." He squeaked out meekly, reminding her of Clark earlier. She got the feeling that he was intimidated by her. _

_"__Thanks, Jimmy. She's coming." Clark said, after Lois stared at him blankly. "That's Jimmy Olsen the photographer. Call him Olsen and boss him around, not that it will be a problem for you." _

_She nodded and followed Clark as he lead her to the editor's office. Inside was an older, balding man who was almost purple from screaming. "Great Caesar's ghost Grant! I need that report on the waterline break in fifteen minutes, or I'm giving it to Alvarez." _

_A short blonde nodded her head and then turned to walk out, noticing Lois. "Good morning Lois. Clark." She said in a singsong voice, eyeing Clark's body like he was a really juicy pig on a spit. She walked past them and Lois glared after her. Was she really okay with other women lusting after her husband with no abandon? God, did she really just think that way about Clark? This place was making her lose her mind. _

_"__Please tell me I don't like her." She whispered to Clark. White turned around at the sound of her voice. _

_"__Lane. Glad your back. I haven't gotten a solid piece of journalism in about a week. No offense, Kent. The higher ups have been pressing me to run more feel-good stories to boost the ratings and make the city look better. I want you to cover that new Police Training Academy downtown. And Kent I want you to go with her."_

_"__Alright." She said, awkwardly. Perry gave her a strange look._

_"__You okay, Lane?" _

_"__Why wouldn't I be?" She said in a firm voice, trying to act like she knew what was going on._

_"__I was just expecting a little more gripe over the story not being big enough for you. Or do you know something I don't know? Maybe your friend in blue told you something worthy of the front page?" He was pressing her for information and she didn't appreciate it._

_"__A good reporter never reveals her sources, chief." She smiled and walked out of the room confidently._

_"__Don't call me chief!" He shouted back loudly. _

_"__Where am I supposed to go?" She asked Clark, after he had tripped over his feet about seven times before reaching their office again. It was almost like in the Daily Planet Clark became too big for his own body, causing him and everyone else trouble. _

_"__We're just walking a few blocks away," He explained as he gathered a few things for them._

_"__Walking? Are you sure you don't want to drive Clark? It seems like the city is too much for you to handle." He shot her a look and they made their way down to the first floor and out onto the street. _

_The new Metropolis Police and Special Forces Training building was huge. It could have easily been thirty stories or higher with a helicopter-pad on the roof. They must have had to buy out two whole city blocks worth of stores to build it. Other reporters were scattered around, but Lois pushed her way to the front to talk to the Police Chief who was speaking. Clark followed cautiously behind her. _

_The Chief noticed her immediately and said, "Miss Lane, we've been waiting for you. Please follow Detective Brady for the inside tour." _

_She glanced back at Clark but followed anyway. He tried to enter the building too, but a guard stopped him. "Miss Lane only." _

_Clark got a horrible feeling about this. Ever since Lex had created an astonishing military and defense budget, these training academies had started to pop up everywhere. Clark had been right years ago when saying that Lex only wanted Lana because Clark had her. Now that Superman had a close relationship with Lois Lane, Lex had become very interested in her, maybe even somewhat romantically. That combined with the fact that Lois had special access made Clark wait and listen in a phone booth across the street, incase anything went bad. _

_Lois was lead to the top floor, where they were learning how to use different experimental weapons like tear gas that causes total paralysis for 10 hours, guns that could scan real threats versus non treats, and riot-busting robots that were completely self sufficient. The riot-busters were huge and looked more like killer robots that should be in movies, than tools to enforce the law. The head of the department was trying to explain to her how the weapons worked and how they could benefit the city, but Lois was more interested in how they were going to stop people potentially abusing the power of those weapons. _

_"__Well Miss Lane they have chips implanted in them to self destruct if necessary and video cameras to monitor activity. If anything goes wrong, we'll have the power to shut everything down." The scientist explained slowly. She could tell it had been rehearsed and he was sweating more than he should at room temperature. _

_"__Mr. Greenhow I don't think you or your superiors have thought this all the way through," She was cut off by some high pitched alarms and flashing lights. One of the riot-busters appeared to have malfunctioned and was rolling around smashing into things. _

_Through a speaker it said, "Retreat. Police forces are on the way." _

_"__Oh what the hell?" She yelled as it started pelting bean bags out of one cannon and rubber bullets out of the other. She ran to escape all of the commotion, and was pelted with rubber bullets in the back. It was far from killing her but they still hurt like hell. Behind her some of the men cheered and she turned to see a whirl of blue and red disabling the robot. _

_A man in a blue suit and cape stood in front of her, offering her a hand. There was a large diamond on his chest with a red S in the middle of it. It freaked her out. _

_"__Only you could find trouble in a police station." He said to her in a deep rumbling voice. He had dark hair and blue eyes, like her husband and son, but he wasn't nearly as handsome. _

_"__Uh thanks? Who are you?" She asked after taking his hand._

_"__I'm Superman."He said, giving her a confused look. _

_"__Super…man? That's a bit pretentious." She looked him up and down. He was dressed like something out of an old comic book, though not nearly as suave as those super heroes looked. _

_"__It wasn't my idea," He confessed. "You named me that a few years ago. Are you feeling alright, Miss Lane?" _

_"__I'm fine. How did you do that whole, saving thing?" _

_"__That's my job. Do you not remember me?" He looked at her so intensely she could've melted. There was something about him, maybe it was the kindness and determination behind those baby-blues, but she was drawn to him. _

_"__No, I don't remember much of anything right now." She didn't know why she told him that, Clark had said it was dangerous, but she trusted him for some reason. _

_"__I hear sirens, I have to go." He said looking out the window. Her face fell. "I'll come by your house tonight and we can discuss it." He smiled warmly at her and then flew, _flew, _out of the window. She ran out to see where he went, but he was already gone. _

_"__Lois?" Clark said behind her, relief all over his beautiful face. She sighed. There was an amazing superhero out there that seemed to be good friends with her, and here she was, married to Clark Kent. _

**_Again thank you to everyone who reviewed! I really appreciate all the feedback! Please let me know what y'all thought of Chapter 7 :)_**


	8. Chapter 8

Lois felt numb all over from realization. The congratulations from her in-laws and the unaware father-to-be were almost too much for her to handle. Not that she didn't want this baby; she would love him or her just as much as Jase, but it was the worst possible timing she could think of. Of course her birth control didn't even cross her mind while she was dealing with being in the past, but how could she be so careless? When (or if) she ever got home, what would he say? Or if she couldn't get back soon, what would younger Clark say when he realized that their baby could break her pelvis by turning around in its sleep?

"I take it this is some unexpected news." Martha said, cautiously. Lois nodded her head, not being able to find the right words to say.

"You could just be mistaken Lois. You haven't taken a test or anything." Clark said, awkwardly.

"No, there's no mistake. I feel this same way that I did with Jase," She said, in a far off voice.

"What was that earlier, with the music?" Jonathan asked.

"Come on, honey, I'm sure this is a lot for Lois to take in. It's late, we should let her get some rest." Martha said, putting a hand on his shoulder and leading him upstairs. She flashed a sympathetic look at Lois and a mutual understanding passed between them. Martha would help protect her secret.

Suddenly, she found herself alone with Clark. They didn't keep things from each other, especially things that concerned their family and she felt extremely guilty.

"Did you, uh, not want this?" The awkward tension filled the room like a thick cloud. She crossed the room and sat at the dining room table beside him. They sat in silence for a minute while Lois got her head together, trying to find a way to explain herself without actually lying to him.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't plan on this baby." She clasped her hands together and sighed.

"Oh. Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?" He offered, making the excuse to get up. He had only ever seen Lois this vulnerable once before, when she was talking to Chloe's grave and had no idea he was there.

"No, those days are over for me." He could hear how overwhelmed she was, and he felt the urge to fix it in some way.

"How about a glass of water then?" She shrugged. When he returned to the table he set the glass in front of her and put his hand over hers. She almost jumped in surprise and as soon as her eyes met his, she started crying. "Lois, what is it?"

"I just…I just miss them so much and I'm scared." He moved closer to her and put his arm around her.

"What are you afraid of?" He asked, gently. She dried her tears with her sleeve and made herself stop crying. She couldn't afford to fall apart now. "If it's about the fortress, Lois, I'll take you back."

"No!" She said it so quickly he was almost sure he heard her wrong.

"No? You we're just begging me to go a few hours ago."

"Things change." She put a hand protectively over her stomach. Lois couldn't go to the fortress with Clark incase Jor-el let the paternity of her baby slip out. She'd just have to go without him again and hope for the best. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Smallville. Thanks for the talk and the water."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

**A warm breeze drifted in through the open window and over their entangled bodies. His ****hands slid gently from her thighs, to hips, then to her back. Suddenly, he flipped her **

**underneath him, making sure the change in position didn't disturb them. He trailed ****kisses down her neck and she pressed harder against him. One of his muscular ****arms snaked**

**underneath the small of her back, supporting all of her weight, his free hand ****gripped her hair as they kissed. The thought that he could easily kill her if he ****lost an ounce of control didn't **

**enter either of their minds as they lost themselves in each ****other. **

Lois bolted up right in Clark's bed, breathing heavily and sweating. She looked around, extremely confused. As she became more awake and aware, she realized that she had momentarily forgotten that she was stuck in the past, and not in fact, enjoying a night with her husband. It had been so real she swore she could smell him…but of course she could smell him, she reminded herself. She was in his old bedroom.

Lois longed for the little things like Clark's dorky glasses, her big comfy couch, the ease of modern technology, the sight of her name in ink, the way Jase would run around bumping into things while pretending to fly, and even the sound of Perry White's booming voice. She began to wonder if she would ever have those precious things again.

The farm house was silent as she tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen, looking for something to drink. She was surprised to find Martha already there, sitting at the table, obviously deep in thought. She whirled around in surprise when she saw Lois.

"You couldn't sleep either, huh?" Lois asked her.

"I guess we both have a lot on our minds." Martha replied softly. Lois pulled out a chair and sat with her, as she did with Clark before. The scraping of her chair was soft, but woke up Clark, who was sleeping on the couch. "How bad is it?"

Lois didn't have to ask what she meant. It had been weighing on her mind too. "I honestly don't know how I'll make it with out him."

"Oh honey, I know how hard this has to be for you. You must be busting at the seams to say something." Martha grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

"I want to tell my _husband,_ but everyday that passes, I feel like I'll never get to. I can feel things changing, and I have no idea how to ensure my future actually happens." Images flashed in her mind of being a single mother, living in the wrong time. Another more horrifying one formed in her mind, of a world where she never pushed Clark into reaching his full potential.

"It's not a typical pregnancy, is it?" Clark's was turning over the phrase "typical pregnancy" in his mind. What did that even mean?

"I guess it's as typical as any, but It's risky, I'm not going to lie to you. There's certain…complications that my body is only just strong enough to handle." She sighed. "Emil, the doctor who delivered Jase told that me another baby would probably kill me."

"Oh my God," Martha whispered, but that didn't hinder Clark from hearing it.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Later when the sun came up, Lois walked back down the stairs to find a bottle of prenatal vitamins next to some pancakes and orange juice. She looked around for the source, but shrugged and started eating anyway. The door opened loudly and in came Clark, covered in dust with bits of hay in his hair.

"Are those the right kind?" He nodded in the direction of the vitamins. She was shocked and could do nothing but stare at him. He must have run out early this morning to pick them up for her. It was so thoughtful she was reminded of why she was in love with him, and she was, no matter what age he happened to be.

"Yes, they're prefect. Thank you." She said, smiling widely at him. Clark felt slightly guilty about eavesdropping on her and Martha as well as worried about Lois and her baby. He debated telling her about overhearing the conversation and wondered if she would be super angry about it. He knew next to nothing about pregnancy, but he didn't think making her upset would be very good for the baby.

After she finished her breakfast she called Chloe, in need of some serious cousin support. Chloe could tell that Lois was in panic-mode and needed to talk. Chloe agreed to drop her plans for the day to meet Lois at the Kent farm.

Lois was expecting her three hours later, but she was not expecting Lana to get out of the car with her. It was strange, seeing her again after so many years. She knew that she would have a hard time avoiding Lana while she was living with the Kents, but she wasn't totally prepared. She had almost forgotten how beautiful she was, or how Clark saw her as some sort of faultless angel.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, sizing each other up. Surprise lit up Lana's face. It showed the same curiosity as everyone who Lois had run into so far.

"Hi Lois." Lana said, somewhat unsurely. "I like what you did to your hair."

"Thanks." Lois felt very awkward. But as long as she could hide her feelings, she didn't see any reason for Lana to not think everything was different.

"Where's Clark?"

"In the barn, I think." She answered shortly before climbing into Chloe's car. They drove off to have lunch and Lana watched the car until it had completely disappeared down the road.

It seemed as though Lana could never come to the farm without something odd happening. There was always something strange or dangerous lurking around each corner. Now after all these years and one spaceship later, she had finally started to seriously look into it with Lex.

Lois had the right prediction about Clark being in the barn. He was elbow deep into the engine of the tractor, working silently and focusing all his attention on it. He didn't even notice she was there until she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh hey," He smiled. "I didn't know you were coming by."

"Chloe was driving down to see Lois, so I thought I'd surprise you." He grabbed her hand and they walked up the stairs to his first "fortress of solitude."

"How's school?" He asked her after sitting on the couch.

"It's good," She smiled. "What was Lois doing here?"

"She's been living here again." He said shortly. She could tell that he didn't want to talk about it and that made her even more curious.

"Why? Is something wrong with the apartment?" She asked.

"No, Lois just needs some support right now."

"What happened?" Lana persisted.

"I don't really think it's my place to say anything." He said, getting off the couch and walking to the window.

"Clark, it's really kind of your parents to let Lois stay with you guys, but she'll never grow up if she knows she's always got a safety-net here."

"Lana, you don't know what you're talking about." He snapped. She stared at him as if he had said he was from mars. He rarely ever fought with her, or even disagreed with her, but after what he had overheard last night, he felt as if he needed to defend Lois and her unborn child. "Look, I know that you're just trying to help, but sometimes you just can't do it alone."

"You're right." She said, touching his arm. "I'm sorry."

"Do you wanna go for a ride?" He said suddenly, smiling brightly down at her.

"Clark," She laughed. "Aren't your parents home?"

"I meant on the horses." He blushed.

"Oh." She was disappointed, but laughed it off. "Aright, let's go."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lois was acting weird and more than oops-I'm-from-the-future weird. Her and Chloe had spent most of the day in Granville, visiting shops and going out to lunch. They had a good time together. Chloe caught Lois up on everything going on with college and interning at the Daily Planet, while Lois told her funny stories about reporting and things Jase did. But all the while there was something big weighing on her that she was keeping from Chloe. They were about to head back to Smallville, when Lois asked if they could stop by a drug store.

Chloe stopped at the front to look at some magazines then went off to find Lois. What she found was Lois in the medicine aside with a basket basket full of strawberry Pop-Tarts.

"Lois what's going on?" Chloe asked urgently. "You've been acting weird all day and why do you need _five _boxes of Pop-tarts?"

Lois turned around slowly and Chloe saw that was in her hands. A box that said pregnancy test in happy colors and font.

"Oh crap." Chloe groaned.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Chloe and Lois arrived back to the farm at the same time that Clark and Lana were walking hand-in-hand back to the house. Lois grabbed her bags and headed into the house, without speaking to anyone. She darted straight for the bathroom and took the test. She could hear Chloe, Clark, and Lana talking, Martha inviting them to dinner, and the clang of dishes as she waited for the test results.

The second line was fully formed two minutes after she took it. It was positive and she was screwed. She knew before she took the test what the result would be, but she had to see proof. Here it was, in two strands of pink. She felt sick, but happy. It was the right moment at the wrong time. She suddenly didn't feel so alone anymore and that gave her the strength to hide the test in the trash can and head down stairs.

As soon as she walked into the kitchen though he smell of ground beef hit her full force and she stopped dead in her tracks. She gripped the wall for support, internally begging herself not to vomit. Chloe rushed over to her, followed by Clark and Lana.

"Lois?" Chloe said loudly, placing a hand on her back. "Are you okay?"

She nodded, unable to say anything. She struggled to stand up straight, but she felt dizzy and stopped. Clark swooped in and picked her up. She stared at him, stunned, but he didn't look at her he just carried her up the stairs to his bedroom, placed her on the bed and dragged a trash can over to her just in time for her to throw her head into it.

She waved him out of the room frantically without looking up. With Jase she was pretty much sick from the time of conception and Clark was always there for her, but now she was embarrassed and just wanted him to get away from her. He only did for a second though, returning with a glass of water and a new trash bag. She couldn't understand why he did it though. In the future he helped because he was her husband and he loved her, but now he had no idea she was carrying their child, and yet here he was.

Lana went to throw some tissues away in the bathroom because she didn't want to go into Clark's room while Lois was sick. She was about to walk out of the bathroom when she saw something pink near the bottom of the tiny bin. She carefully picked it up, thinking whatever it was might have fallen in by accident.

She stared at the test, knowing there was only one possible person who could be pregnant at the Kent house. It all made sense now. Lois probably had a fling and had gotten pregnant. That's why she needed support, she was making the biggest decision of her life. She could never see Lois being a mother…And that's why Clark was so defensive, she realized. He was adopted and the fate of Lois's baby was weighing on him. He was scared that her baby might not be as lucky as he was to have found the Kents.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

"That's all you could get off of Milton Fine's computer?" Lex Luthor asked the nervous man sitting in front of him. He had hired a specialist to hack the professor's accounts after their last conversation. Lex was convinced that Fine somehow had knowledge of the ship and he was set to prove it. Finding that ship could mean preventing the loss of human civilization or the key to stopping an all out invasion in the future.

"Yes, sir. Nothing suspicious." He man fidgeted. He knew that wasn't the response Lex was looking for. "Except… for months he has been sending emails back and forth to a woman…Lois something. He has a file on her."

"Lois Lane?" Lex asked, in surprise.

"Yes, I believe so."

"Hand me over every file you can find on her from his computer and start a new investigation on Lois Lane. I will wire your compensation to the account we talked about."

He man nodded and hurried out of the room. Lex folded his hands together and started thinking. If Lois was working with Fine, she could have all the answers he's been looking for. Lois's strange appearance and behavior coincided with the ship being stolen from him. After their conversation at the Talon yesterday, he was determined to find out what she was hiding.


	9. Chapter 9

_Lois stared at the cursor, trying to form the first sentence of her article, but her mind was in the clouds. Literally in the clouds, following a flowing red cape. She was going to see him again tonight and there were so many questions she wanted to ask him. How did he become the way he is? Where did he come from? Why did he choose to become a hero? _

_She had to remind herself that she was probably already supposed to know all of those things. With the way everyone talked about her at the Planet, it seemed like she was the only reporter to have a one-on-one scoop on Superman. Before she could focus her attention on writing this article, she needed to read up on Metropolis's own superhero. _

_"__Clark?" She looked across her desk, but it was empty. She didn't even notice him leave. Luckily, he had ditched those silly glasses and left them laying on his desk. She was beginning to think they actually impaired his vision more than improved it. _

_She got up from her desk and peered out of the office door. It was extremely busy, with people bustling around, focused on their own deadlines. She didn't want to have to ask any of them, but with Clark gone, she would have to find another way to read her old articles. She spotted Jimmy Olsen looking through a stack of photos near the mail cart. _

_"__Psst! Hey…Olsen!" He nearly jumped out of his skin and hurried over to her. "I need you to tell me where I can find old articles." _

_"__They're usually in the archive room. Did we get an new system? I know they were talking about putting everything on computers now-"_

_"__I don't know. Where's the archive room?" She interrupted his rant quickly. _

_"__In the basement? Are you okay?" Jimmy stared at her like she grew an extra head. _

_"__Yeah, fine." She pushed past him and started walking towards the elevators. He ran to catch her before she pressed the down button. _

_"__I can get it for you." He smiled brightly at her._

_"__That's okay, uh, Olsen. I can do it." She pushed past him again only to have him jump in her way and block her. _

_"__Really, Miss Lane, I can do it. I know you have a ton of articles to work on. What do you need?" _

_"__All of my past articles on Superman." _

_"__All of them?" He ran his fingers through his hair. His task was going to take at least an hour and he was starting to regret offering his help in the first place. _

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

_Clark returned to his office to find Lois sifting through piles of papers. Her hair was falling out of her bun and she had undone the first few buttons of her shirt. He stood in the door way, staring at her for a few seconds. She was so damn beautiful and his eyes started pooling with fire. They hadn't gone this long without being together since Jase was born and he had to remind himself that to Lois, she wasn't his wife; in fact, the thought of a romance between the two of them repulsed her. _

_"__What exactly are you doing?" He asked, laying his coat on the back of his chair. _

_"__Oh, nice of you to show up, Urkel. Where did you go anyway?" She barely glanced up at him as she said this. He glared at her like he always did when she was being a pain in the ass and looked over her shoulder. So, she was reading up on him. He had just come back from preventing a Peruvian mine from collapsing and had to jump in a river to clean the dirt off of him before returning to the Planet. Everyone would probably get word of it in an hour or so, and he knew now that Lois had a fascination with him, she would want to poke around to find every detail of what happened. _

_"__Cat asked me to proof her article." He explained shortly. She raised an eyebrow. She didn't know who he was talking about. "The blonde woman we bumped into this morning." _

_Something flashed in her eyes quickly. If Clark hadn't been paying close attention he would've missed it completely. She shrugged. She didn't really care what Clark did with other women. She should care, and she knew it, but they were together in her future. Lois just wanted to go back to her time so she could go on pretending to be blissfully ignorant about the whole thing. Except for being married to Clark, she couldn't really complain. It wasn't a bad life, but she just wasn't ready for it yet._

_"__Have you finished that article yet?" _

_"__I'm trying to figure out how I usually write." They both knew that wasn't what she was actually doing, but Clark pretended to believe her. _

_"__Do you need help?" He offered. She desperately wanted to say yes, but she couldn't make herself do it. _

_"__Don't you have your own stuff to write? Or am I the only one who brings home the bacon in his marriage?" Clark glared at her again and wondered why she was being so difficult today. He was about to say something snippy back to her when he heard screaming across town. _

_"__I forgot to pick up my copies from the copy room. I'll be right back." He dashed out of the room, leaving Lois to stare at the empty space he left behind. That was one of the weird things he always did that annoyed her so much about him. They would be doing something important like investigating a murder, she'd look away for five seconds and then he'd disappear. _

_The longer he was gone though, the more the words started forming in her mind. She thought of the things she was going to write, how Superman saved the Earth from being pulverized by a giant planet, or how he held up the Golden Gate Bridge when it was about to collapse, and all the times he apparently saved her from emanate danger. There were so many articles she couldn't keep count of all his heroic deeds. At the time she was upset about the training academy accident, but it gave her something spectacular to write about._

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_There was a certain thrill writing gave Lois that lasted the rest of the day until she made it back to the apartment. She was in such a great mood that she even played on the floor with Jase and his action figures (which surprisingly made her even more happy), and wasn't mean to Clark for the rest of the day. She also never noticed how many things Clark did around the house. She felt rather useless while he did laundry, picked up Thai food for them, made mac and cheese for Jase, and still kept having to leave and do errands he had forgotten to do during the say. _

_After he left the third time, she realized how late it was getting and that she needed to get ready to meet Superman. She wasn't typically nervous meeting people, but she was tonight. What would she wear? Where in the hell were they going to meet anyway? What do you say to a man who's practically a God? She just needed to occupy Jase long enough to get ready. _

_"__Hey bud," She said, remembering Clark's nickname for him earlier. "Lois…I mean mom, needs to get in the shower. What do you want to watch while I'm in there?" _

_"__Stitch!" He yelled gleefully. Lois gave him a confused look. She had no idea what he was talking about but she walked over to their entertainment center and started looking through DVDs._

_"__Momma." He said, impatiently. He grabbed "Lilo and Stitch" from the shelf and handed it to her. She shook her head. Maybe the kid wasn't all-Smallville after all. _

_She took a nice, long shower, enjoying sometime to think and be alone. She wanted to tell Superman the whole truth, even if Clark was going to be angry about it. He could probably help her out a lot more than Smallville ever could. _

_Because their bathroom was attached to the bedroom she hadn't bothered to bring clothes with her. Wrapped up in a towel, she started searching for something to wear. She listened in for Jase quickly and knew he was okay as long as the movie was still playing and no fire alarms went off. While looking for underwear she noticed a strip of dark red that she hadn't noticed before and pulled it out. It was a slinky, sexy piece of lingerie. A gross imagine formed in her mind of getting it on with the farm boy. _

_Lace greeted Clark as he burst through their bedroom door. In surprise she backed up into the dresser and accidentally pulled the towel off of herself. And that's how Lois Lane found herself naked, holding up a red teddy, and staring at the eye lids of Clark Kent, who's attention was not on her face. _

_"__Get out of here!" She screamed while throwing the teddy at him violently. He almost used super speed to leave the room, but remembered at the last second. _

_Clark stood in the kitchen gripping the counter. What he had just walked into had not helped the situation he felt earlier today. He wanted Lois and he was angry with her. The combination was not a pleasant one. He had returned to find Jase re-enacting a scene from "Lilo and Stitch" with a look in his eye that screamed total destruction. Lois should have been watching him instead of taking a marathon shower to met who she thought was another man. Perhaps he was being irrational, but he was jealous. Of himself. He knew he shouldn't be playing with her emotions, but he wanted the old her back so badly he was willing to continue lying to her. _

_Ten minutes later he cautiously knocked on the door. She didn't answer, so he knocked again, more forcefully. He kept knocking until she threw open the door saying, "What in the hell do you think you're doing?" _

_"__We need to talk." He pushed past her and closed the door behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest, starting an impromptu glaring contest with Lois. She was about to say something, but he cut her off before she began. "Lois, how long were you in the shower?" _

_"__Excuse me?" There was a wild glint in her eyes and she was ready to pounce. She just couldn't believe after the nightmare that just occurred, he would ask more questions about her being naked. _

_"__I said, how long were you taking a shower?" _

_"__I don't know, 45 minutes…maybe an hour." She shrugged. That was pretty short considering she was preparing for a huge night. _

_"__You left a three year-old unattended for an hour? Lois, he could've seriously gotten hurt." He was so angry with her he almost couldn't stand it. She was being way too irresponsible when they couldn't afford for her to be. _

_"__Relax, Smallville. I put a movie in for him." She turned away from him and started putting on her make up. He came up behind her to watch her in the mirror. _

_"__Children don't just sit and watch TV when you tell them to. At least our child doesn't. And when I came home he was trying to open the balcony door. How would you have felt, Lois, if he had fallen?" He watched the expression on her face change. _Well good_, he thought. _If she doesn't care about me at least she cares about Jase.

_"__I didn't ask for this, Clark." She said, putting her make up brush down and looking up at him. _

_"__Neither did I, but at least I'm trying to make the best of it. Whether you like it or not, you have to take up the role you were put in to. You _are _Jase's mother. You _are_ a reporter. And you_ are_ my wife. You have responsibilities now and you can't run from them like you always have before." _

_She jumped up and stood nose to throat with him, glaring deeply into his eyes. "I do not run. I only get myself away from bad situations. Like this one for example." She tore her gaze from his and started to march out of the room. He grabbed her arm as gently as he could to stop her, but she ripped it away from him. _

_"__What makes you think that when I get back home I'll decide to marry you at all? I can still change everything." _

_"__Because I know you." He said softly, but she had already stormed out of the room. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Luckily they had chosen a tall apartment building with a giant roof that opened up to see the stars. They distracted Lois from waiting. She had so much on her mind that she almost couldn't keep up. She didn't want to marry Clark. How dare he accuse her of running from things like a scared little girl! But on the other hand, the kid wasn't so bad once she got to know him and she didn't want him to be like, _not alive. _But then again, she wasn't sure she wanted to be his mother either. _

_The thought that Superman had forgotten about her flashed across her mind. Why did she always go for the larger-than-life guys that could keep up with her? Clark couldn't keep up with her, hell, he couldn't even buy milk after he had specifically written it down on a list. But Superman? He had this purpose, a drive, that gave him an identity and had a destiny that was so great she couldn't imagine all the wonderful things he was going to accomplish. It was like being friends with Gandhi or Bono. _

_But the more stars she counted, or cars that passed by, the more she was sure he wasn't going to come. She could kill for a piece of Nicorette, or better yet, a cigarette. She watched a dark speck flying around over the city. It was probably a bird…maybe a plane. But as it got larger and closer she realized that he hadn't let her down after all. _

_He landed gracefully on the ledge of the building, smiling warmly at her. She smiled back at him, not knowing exactly what to say. Clark was still upset about fighting with her, but he pushed it out of his mind for the moment. Getting Lois to trust Superman would be easy, but he had to do it perfectly. It might be the only chance he got to have her examined by Jor-el. _

_"__Good evening, Mrs Kent." _

_"__Lane. Lois _Lane. _And you too, uh, Superman? Is that what I should call you?" _

_He laughed. "Yes, Superman is fine. It's almost always been what you've called me?" He said it as a question for her benefit. _

_"__That's the problem. You see, I've never met you." She started talking with her hands, like she usually did when she was nervous. He shot her a curious look. "And you've never met me. I'm in the future. I mean, I'm from the past. 2005." _

_An amused look crossed his face. "Well, that's unusual." _

_"__But you've seen it before?" She could tell due to the lack of reaction from him. _

_"__Something similar, yes."_

_"__And how did you fix it?" Her heart sank when he stayed silent. "You can't?" _

_"__I'm going to try, but you'll have to trust me." _

_"__Trust you? I don't know you." But boy did she want to._

_"__You will." He said, confidently. She gave him an exasperated look. He sounded just like Clark did when lecturing her. "You know about me and you should know I would never hurt you." _

_She believed him, she really did. " Okay, so what do we need to do?" _

_He smiled when she said "we." Already Lois thought of them as a team. "I have a place I can take you that might be able to trace how you were sent here."_

_"__A place? What kind of place can do that?" She asked, skeptically. _

_"__It's hard to explain. It's a small piece, the only piece," He corrected himself. "of my home planet left." _

_"__You're…from another planet?" She was astonished. She'd seen what people from Smallville could do, but she hadn't ever bought into the whole little-green-men theory. _

_"__Yes." Clark wished he had kept a tally of every time he had this exact conversation with someone. _

_"__What happened to your planet?" _

_"__It was destroyed." _

_"__When?" She figured it had been a long time considering he didn't seem too upset about it. Then again, she didn't know him that well. _

_"__Not long after I was born." _

_"__So where were you all these years?"_

_"__Here. On Earth." He felt the conversation steering towards unanswerable questions and knew he would have to change the subject soon. _

_"__That must have been hard for you, to grow up with us humans and not your own people."She noticed a flicker of sadness in his eyes and when he looked at her, it was as if he could see straight to her soul, to her heart. _

_With the way she was looking at him then, he wanted to tell her everything, admit it all up front, but all he said was, "I've learned a lot from humans." _

_She instinctively moved closer to him, drawn in by his confidence and strength. In a voice that was more seductive than she meant for it to be, she said, "Where is your place?" _

_"__It's in the Yukon. We can fly there right now." He had to take a step back. At this rate he was going, he would end up in a grey area of mortality. If he kissed her like he wanted to she would be cheating on him, but technically not, and he would be sort of cheating on his wife with her younger self._

_"__I…" She wanted to say yes, very badly, but she thought of her earlier conversation with Clark. "I can't go tonight. I have a family and I can't just run off to Alaska with some superhero I just met." _

_Clark smiled at her with love and adoration. "I understand, Lois. I'll take you whenever you're ready." _

_He started to fly away. He needed to return to the apartment quickly and change his clothes. He had already put Jase to bed while Lois was waiting for him and he had to make sure he caught her coming in the door so she wouldn't wake the little boy up. He looked back at her one more time before taking off. "Until next time, Mrs. Kent." _

He did that on purpose_, she thought. Lois watched as he got farther and farther away. She made the right choice, and yet she felt lonely and empty inside. She had never felt this way about anyone before. She was terrified that her feelings for Superman might be too strong. Lois got the feeling that, unlike Clark, Superman wouldn't forget to pick up the milk or leave his copies in the copy room. _


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm sorry I'm a bit late with this one guys, but I've had a crazy week! I just wanted to say thank you to all my lovely reviewers and to the people who Favorited/ Followed this story :) You guys keep me motivated! So read on and tell me what you think :)**

The smell of apple pie made Lois feel sick and hungry at the same had been ill all night long. While she spent the majority of the early hours this morning contemplating what she had done to deserve a night staring into a toilet, she also had time to think. She could already begin to see the damaging effects she was having on the past. She didn't have it in her to fight with Clark like she used to, Martha knew their future, and now she was on Brainiac radar. If she did the same things she had done previously, pretty soon she would be running Jonathan's campaign and then…she couldn't even think about that. She absolutely had to find a way back to her time before she was faced with the choice of standing by and letting Jonathan Kent die again, or changing everything she knew about the future.

The smell of Martha's cooking warmed up the whole house and reminded Lois of better times. She could practically see Jase sitting on their kitchen counter, hands full of dough with his grandma patiently showing him how to make Christmas cookies. She could imagine Martha years from now, knowingly looking at her ultrasound pictures and keeping her joy to herself.

Luckily she would have the house to herself today. Martha was about to head to the Talon and today was Lois's day off. Clark and Jonathan had left to check out an almost new tractor that was for sale for a price so low they couldn't resist taking a look at it.

Martha offered to buy Lois some saltine crackers and ginger ale as she grabbed her baked goods and walked out the door. As soon as the door shut, Lois jumped up and nearly ran up the stairs to change out of her pajamas. The opportunity had finally come and she didn't know when or if she would get the chance again. She was going to have a conversation with Jor-el.

She had changed and grabbed everything important to her in under five minutes. She thought about writing a note, but decided if she managed to switch places with her younger self again, they would understand what happened. She was going home today, no matter what. It had been too long already and Lois was prepared for whatever would come. Except for the possibility that someone would knock into her as she flew out the front door.

"Chloe!" She shouted, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I stayed at the Talon last night in case you were still sick or needed someone to talk to." Chloe was staring at her like a teacher that caught a student throwing a paper airplane. "Where were you off to?"

"I…had a craving." Lois said, lamely.

"Pop-tarts again?" Chloe teased. Lois made an attempt to smile, but it wasn't very convincing.

Chloe walked past her and into the kitchen while Lois shut the front door, cursing her silently. She made herself a cup of coffee, unaware that Lois was trying to think of a way to get rid of her. Nonchalantly Chloe said, "So I guess we figured out what was weird about your blood."

"What?" Lois asked, confused.

"A few weeks ago in the hospital. The doctor said something was strange about your blood. I guess you figured out what it was." Lois froze. With everything that had occurred since then, she hadn't given her trip to the hospital a second thought. She had to go find the sample and destroy it. Leaving something like that behind would be irresponsible and could be catastrophic. Resolved to the fact that she wasn't going to the cave today, she ran full speed to the bathroom upstairs and pretended to throw her guts up. Chloe offered to stay but Lois begged her in between fits of gagging to come back later. After her cousin finally gave up trying to nurse Lois back to health, she figured out how she was going to get into the hospital.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

The uniform store was very reasonably priced. Her nurse disguise was much cheaper than she would've paid for it in Metropolis. But then again, that could probably be traced back to a decade's worth of inflation. Fortunately for Lois (and unfortunately for the patients), it was an extremely busy day at the hospital. So busy, in fact that no one actually verified that Lois was a real nurse.

She walked straight into the Lab and searched through the refrigerated container until she found the label with her name on it and slipped the vial into her pocket. Then she searched through the filing cabinet by the door and grabbed her file. She quickly folded it up and stuffed it into her shirt.

Then she sat at the nurses desk where the computer was left open and thankfully, unprotected by a password. With the simple technology it was easy to find her medical records and completely delete any trace of her ER visit that night. She almost felt bad for taking advantage of the nurses at Smallville Medical Center, but it was necessary.

She waited until she got back to the farm before opening her file and reading it. It was pages thick of stitches, concussions, and broken bones. Sometimes she forgot how many times she had been hurt in this little town. A sample of that blood had been sent to Macedon Research Facilities in Metropolis. Her doctor from Smallville Med made a note in her file saying that her sample was strange, but nothing dangerous enough to call disease control. The lab technicians an Macedon might not come to the same conclusion though. She needed to go tonight and take care of the problem.

Before she changed out of the nurses uniform she took the file and vial outside to the barn. She dug a hole and buried the blood, not wanting to risk anyone seeing it or picking it up from the trash. She started to burn the file when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Lois, what the hell are you doing? And what the hell are you wearing?" Chloe asked, crossing her arms over her chest._ Dammit_, she thought. She should've changed first.

"What are you doing here Chloe?" Lois said, breathlessly.

"You said I should come by later. It's later and I brought you some stuff from Mrs. Kent. Again, Lois, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, Chloe, don't worry about it."

"You're burning a folder, wearing a nurse's smock, and obviously not sick," She softened her voice. "Just tell me what's going on. Maybe I can help you."

"I got rid of my blood sample." Lois said, sagging in defeat. Her pregnancy made her extremely tired and she just didn't have the will to evade Chloe's questions anymore.

"Why?" Out of all the answers Lois could've given her, she didn't expect that. Perhaps she should've, considering the strange circumstances, but she wasn't prepared.

"It's complicated and I can't explain it right now, but I just had to." Chloe looked as if she were about to ask more questions but Lois interjected. "Trust me, it's a matter of life and death. Please just let it go."

Chloe didn't want to let it go, not in the slightest, but since she'd been friends with Clark for so long she had just learned to accept some things as they are and move on. Lois finished burning the evidence, then she and Chloe walked back up to the house.

Immediately and wordlessly Lois went up to Clark's bedroom and changed her clothes. She was starting to get nauseous , but she powered through it. At the bottom of the stairs she found Chloe reenergized from coffee and ready for anything Lois could throw at her.

"So what now?" She said, standing up a little straighter, a determined look on her face.

"What do you mean?" Lois asked, cautiously.

"I know you, Lois and I can tell your job isn't done. So what do we need to do now?"

"Chloe this is dangerous. You're staying here." Lois said, firmly.

"God, you sound just like Clark. You're pregnant and you're the one telling me something is too dangerous? Let me help you. You know I can." Lois could see that reporter's fire flaring up in her cousin. Chloe wanted to prove herself to Lois and who was she to stop her?

"There's another sample in Metropolis, some place called Macedon Research. I need to sneak in there and destroy it."

"Breaking and entering. The perfect girls-night-out."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Again Lois and Chloe found themselves in the Metropolis University Library. The best time to get into the lab would be at night, so Lois had time to kill and Chloe had research to do.

"What did you find?" Lois asked for the seventh time.

"Still not much. The lab is owned by an off-shoot company of an off-shoot company. I've been trying to hack into their system for the last 30 minutes, but they have firewalls galore."

Lois groaned. She hated sitting still, and she was starting to become ravenously hungry. She excused herself from Chloe and made her way to the vending machines outside. She was staring at all her snack choices when she noticed someone coming up the sidewalk, headed towards the library. She really hoped that Lana would walk by her and not pay attention to her, but her wishes were in vain.

"Lois?" Lana asked, unsure if it was actually her, because of her newly dark hair.

"Hey, Lana." Lois said, awkwardly. She wondered if she would ever get used to being around Lana again.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine?" The way Lana was looking at her made her extremely uncomfortable, like Lana was observing her, searching for something strange about her. Lana glanced down at her midsection and Lois understood. Somehow Lana knew about the baby. She flipped through a mental list of the four people besides her knew about it, wondering which of them had spread her business to the world. I had to have been Clark, she decided. Chloe and Martha were much too loyal to her to say anything to Lana. Jonathan would've said it wasn't his place to say anything. Clark though…Clark would tell Lana anything she wanted to know (unless it was about him of course).

"Well of you need anything, I'm here." Lana gently squeezed her shoulder and smiled before walking away.

"Thank you." She called to her. She meant it. Lana had a kind heart, even if Lois couldn't stand the sight of her anywhere near her future husband.

She bought ten dollars worth of food and somehow managed to smuggle it all back into the library. She returned to their table to find Chloe totally immersed in what she was doing and was typing at a superhuman speed

"You're going to love me." She said a few minutes later, a triumphant smile on her face. Lois almost spit out the Fritos she was munching on. "I got in, I deleted your case file, and found out how to disable the security cameras. The vial is on the fourth floor, in Lab 402."

"Chloe you are absolutely a genius." Lois gloated.

"I know." She smiled widely.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

By eleven there were only a handful of cars in the parking lot. Lois and Chloe were waiting in the car for some poor sucker to come out of the building with their security pass. It wasn't a concrete plan, but it was the best one they could think of given the amount of time they had.

Finally, a nerdy looking guy came outside to smoke. He leaned against the building beside the door, even from a distance looking miserable about his life. Lois could see the green and purple badge securely strapped to his belt buckle.

"Do you want to be bait or shall I?" Lois asked Chloe while getting out of the car.

"Bait?"

"One of us needs to go up there make an excuse to talk to him, and start flirting while the other takes this," Lois pulled a very small pink taser out of her pocket that was shaped like a cell phone. She handed it to the reluctant blonde. "and hits him with it."

"I don't know about this, Lois. It just seems wrong. This guy didn't do anything to us and he could be fired or something." Chloe argued, half jogging to keep up with Lois's long strides.

"He won't lose his job from being tazed. In fact it might make him look like a hero to all the geeky girls who work here," Lois looked back and saw that Chloe wasn't convinced. "Trust me, he'll be fine. I've done this before."

"You've done this before? When?" Chloe sounded panicked.

"I'll tell you about it one day." Lois's body language changed almost immediately after they had gotten close enough to the guy to talk to him. "Hi, my name is Sherri and my car just won't start. Do you have a phone I could use to call a mechanic?"

"Uh…not with me?" He man said in a voice higher pitched than she was expecting. He looked nervous and a bit suspicious of her. She guessed he didn't have much experience with women.

"Is there one inside I could use?" She smiled at him, trying to look harmless and pretty at the same time.

"I'm not allowed to bring anyone inside." He watched her face fall a bit and instantly said, "But if you have a number I can call someone for you."

"Oh I wouldn't want to put you out." She tried to catch Chloe's eye.

"It's not a problem." The man replied quickly.

"No, we really couldn't ask you to do that. Could we Chloe?" She emphasized her name, giving her the look. _Shoot him Chloe! Shoot him! _She mentally screamed at her.

"Oh!" Chloe jumped in realization, fumbling around with the taser until she held it in the right hand and turned it on against the man's side. His eyes went wide, then he crashed to the ground, twitching.

"Come on!" She shouted at Chloe, ripping the security pass from the mans pants and using it to get inside.

They quickly fast walked to the nearest elevator, trying not to draw too much attention to themselves. They weren't that worried about security teams because Chloe had disabled the security cameras earlier, but they didn't want any of the workers to raise any alarms. The elevator ride to the forth floor had left like it went on for years. Lois's heart beat so hard and fast she felt like anyone around them could hear it.

When the doors opened they didn't see anyone working there. It was dead silent and with the humming of the florescent bulbs above her, Lois half expected to run into a zombie or two. She peeked into lab 402 before entering it. There were many more refrigerators with blood samples in this lab than the one in Smallville. They split up looking though each one, since they were organized alphabetically in each individual container. In the first fridge she looked through the Ks twice before realizing that her last name was "Lane" and not "Kent." It took ten minutes, but Lois found her blood in the fifth one.

"Got it." She told Chloe.

"Now, put it down." A deep voice said. She didn't know how she could've missed the giant guard before. Her heart slammed into her chest. She looked around for something to defend herself with then heard the sound of glass breaking. Chloe had grabbed a beaker from the sink and smashed it over the guards head. He doubled over clutching his bleeding scalp and reached for his gun. Lois quickly ran and grabbed the fire extinguisher that was sitting beside the door and hit him with it a few times until he was knocked unconscious. Chloe gave Lois a look that said _What did you get us into?_

They ran for it, using the stairs instead of the elevator and speeding off in the car the way anyone does when they've stolen something valuable.

"What's so important about that blood?" Chloe snapped at Lois once they were a safe distance away.

"Chloe, I told you that I can't explain."

"You said it was a matter of life and death. I was almost shot by that guard. I think I deserve an explanation!" She swerved the car a slightly out of anger.

Okay! Okay, just focus on the road." Lois sighed. She could always lie to Chloe, but if she ever found out she might not forgive Lois. But then again, Chloe might not forgive what she was about to tell her anyway. "I had to get the blood back because I can't have anyone learning that my baby isn't entirely…human."

"Isn't human? Why wouldn't it be…?" Lois could tell the moment Chloe understood what she was saying. The color drained from her face and she looked out past her windshield in disbelief. She struggled to find the right words. "No. No, that couldn't have happened…"

"Yes." Lois said. "It did."

Chloe's heart felt like it had been stabbed with an icepick. Her cousin was pregnant by her best friend, the boy she had been not-so-secretly in love with since eighth grade. And they hated each other's guts. She had been joking when she asked Clark if he thought they were together in the future. How did they end up doing the horizontal tango? She swallowed down her emotions. Then it hit her.

"You married him." She said in a dead sort of voice.

"I did." Lois could tell that Chloe was heartbroken. "Please don't hate me."

"And Jase is his son?" Chloe acted like she hadn't even heard what Lois said.

"He's our son." She hated when people made it sound like Jase was only Clark's son. Even though if you looked at Jase you wouldn't think Lois had much to do with the creation of him, she had the stretch marks to prove it.

"Does he know?" Chloe asked.

"No, he doesn't and you can't tell him. Please, Chloe. If you do it could change the entire future."

"I won't tell him." She promised Lois. Even if her cousin was with her dream guy, they were still family and she loved Lois. She couldn't intentionally hurt her. "Your secret is safe with me."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

"Mr. Luthor, I need to inform you that Macedon labs was compromised this evening. A vial of blood was stolen from room 402. Mr. Hodges and Mr. Gates were attacked." A pretty asian woman stood in front of Lex, her hands behind her.

"Thank you, Elizabeth." He said in a tone that told her she was dismissed.

After she had exited the room, he opened his laptop, and found the encrypted file he had been looking for. He had extra security cameras put in the building to make sure he could see and control everything that happened in his lab. He funded many secret projects in that building. Projects which he planned to sell to the military once they had been properly tested, so he spent extra so that he could ensure extra protection.

What he saw was not a rival company trying to sell his prototypes. It was none other than Lois Lane and Chloe Sullivan. He watched as they riffled through the hundreds of blood samples until Lois found the one she wanted. Then he watched her take down a six-foot-six guard and escape unharmed.

He had been struggling with himself over how to deal with Lois. Obviously she was working on something sinister with Milton Fine, but he had not considered her an actual threat, just a small nuisance. Now he had just seen it with his own eyes; Lois Lane was dangerous and she was hiding something important.


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm sorry for being late again my lovely readers, but I'm making up for it with this a longer chapter! Thank you for reviewing and as always, please tell me what you think :)**

_Jase threw his Warrior Angel action figure to the ground in frustration. It was no fun pretending to beat up Devilicus with mommy yelling all the time. He didn't understand why she was being so mean to daddy or why she never played with him anymore or told him how much she loved him while putting him to bed. She hardly ever payed him any attention and when she did it was because she was mad at daddy again. He didn't know why she was acting like she didn't know what he liked for dinner or why she thought daddy was two different people. All he wanted in life was some blueberry pancakes, to throw Devilicus into a volcano, and for his mommy to act the way she used to. _

_"__Seriously, Clark," His mother said in a scary voice. "what would they ever get done with out me? I can't be off today!" _

_"__Lois, I don't make the rules. Perry doesn't want you in the office today. He wants you to take a few hours to spend with your family. You haven't taken a single day off since your first day." Daddy said, trying to calm her down. _

_"__If I'm supposed to spend time with my 'family' then why aren't you off too?" _

_"__I have work I have to finish too, Lois." Clark noticed Jase watching them, then told Lois to move into the kitchen and away from him. Since his parents had finally stopped screaming, Jase went back to saving the world, all from the comfort of the couch. _

_"__Besides," Clark continued. "this would be a good time to get to know your son." _

_"__I do know him!" Lois argued, because she couldn't admit that Clark was right, not that she didn't agree with what he was saying. _

_"__You've spent maybe an hour alone with him the past few weeks. I don't want him to start thinking that he did something to make his mother not care for him anymore." _

_"__I do! It's just…it doesn't feel like he's my child. You can't just expect me to be literally dropped into this situation and tell me I'm supposed to love this little person I just met unconditionally." She threw her hands into the air. "I just not the mother type, Clark. I mean, look how Lucy turned out."_

_"__Lucy turned out alright, Lois." Clark reminded her. He had told her weeks ago that her little sister had joined the military after surviving a major car accident and that she was now dating a reporter from the Planet. But Lois often clung to the life she knew and didn't absorb new information well. _

_"__Still," She argued. "before all this happened, she was scamming people out of money, stealing cars, and on her way to becoming a bank robber! What makes you think that he won't turn out like that too?"_

_"__Because he has a great mother who would kill him if he ever acted like that." Clark said firmly. She continued to stare at him, unsatisfied. That kid's only hope was Clark and she knew it. "I have to go or I'm going to be late. Just take him to the park or watch a movie with him."_

_"__But…" She started, but he wasn't listening to her. He grabbed his coat and briefcase then went over to the couch where Jase was playing and gently kissed him on the top of the head._

_"__Be good for your mother. Don't give her any trouble." Jase looked at Lois uncertainly but nodded anyway. Without another look Clark was out the door, leaving Lois and Jase to stare quietly at each other. Jase quickly got bored and started playing with his toys again. Lois slowly sat down on the couch beside him. _

_"__Who's this guy?" She asked him, picking up a very muscular action figure._

_"__That's Toro Bravo. He is Warrior Angel's friend." Jase said taking it from her then shoving the little toy into her face. It's tiny plastic horns almost touched her nose. "He's half bull. See mama?" _

_"__Wow!" She said with more enthusiasm than she was used to showing. "And who's your favorite?"_

_"__Warrior Angel!" He giggled like it was the most obvious thing in the world. _

_"__Why do you like him the most?" She was trying to keep the conversation going. At least he couldn't get into anything if they were talking. _

_"__Because he's like daddy." Jase answered simply. She was confused. Since when did geeky and infuriating become heroic traits? He handed Toro Bravo back to her. "Here. We have to stop Devilicus from destroying Earth!" _

_He swung Warrior Angel high into the air and then back down to "kick" Devilicus into the crack between the sofa cushions. He made car-crash sounds to illustrate his point, looking to Lois to improvise her own way to defeat the villain. After a few minutes she realized that she was having fun with Little Smallville. Maybe this wouldn't be as awful as she thought. _

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

_Clark felt bad about_ _manipulating Perry into giving Lois the day off, but it was necessary. Now that he had to hide everything from her, it was becoming harder and harder to sneak away to save people. The other night though, he caught bits of a conversation that was very incriminating to President Luthor. Lex had always used fear to sway public opinion, hell that's how he got elected in the first place. Right now he was in the middle of creating very harsh foreign policy measures. The kind that would probably lead to the military stock piling weapons manufactured by LexCorp. _

_Congress had been debating about it for months. With heroes like Superman around, there hadn't been terrorist attacks in years. Most didn't see a legitimate threat to protect the united States against. Clark had the nagging suspicion that Lex was going to do something drastic to change things into his favor. _

_Clark was flying high above the clouds listening in for anything suspicious. Suddenly he heard a sharp, high-pitched sound. A sound that was used as a signal for him to call Watchtower. It was Oliver who picked up. _

_"__We found something." He said without a preamble. "It looks like someone is planning an attack on Paris."_

_"__I'm on it." He said, almost snapping the phone shut, but Oliver stopped him._

_"__Wait. Wayne's there tracking some guy in a clown suite. Made a big deal about being on 'vacation.' I'll get him to check it out." _

_Clark rolled his eyes. He didn't care much for Batman, but he was sure the rich boy could handle it. "Fine. Let me know how it turns out." _

_He flew back to their apartment and looked in on Lois and Jase. Now that he actually could use the day to spend with his family, he didn't think it was the right time. He watched the two of them, playing together like they were as thick as thieves. He sighed. It looked like he actually would be getting things done in the office today._

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Lois felt a small head gently hit her lap and she found that Jase had finally fallen asleep. The were in the middle of watching "Lilo and Stitch" which she realized must be his favorite movie with the sheer number of times he watched it. Even Lois had to admit it was a cute movie about an alien who becomes friends with an orphaned girl and learns the meaning of family and friendship. Although she was more than sure he just liked the child-friendly action sequences. _

_She picked him up, noticing that he had only eaten half of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich she made him. Maybe he didn't like it, but he hadn't objected to it when she offered. The kid must know by now that a PB&amp;J was about as far as her culinary skills went. _

_She shuffled down the hall to place him in bed. He stirred slightly as she laid him down. She winced, thinking she would have to start the whole process over again if he woke up. _

_"__Don't leave again mommy." He said, sleepily. She stared at him, very confused. She didn't understand what he meant. _

_"__I'm not going anywhere, bud. After your nap we might go to the park, okay?" She reached down and ran her fingers through his silky dark curls. He snuggled closer to her hand, smiling slightly. _

_"__Okay. I love you, mama." _

_"__I love you too, kiddo." It had slipped out before she had even stopped to consider it. Crap. Did she love him, the carbon copy of Smallville that could've accurately been named Clark Kent Jr.? _

_She honestly didn't know and it terrified her. She wasn't sure though, if it scared her more that she might not love him more that if she did. _

_After a few minutes she got bored and didn't want to contemplate such large life questions. She decided to do some laundry, but found that Clark had already done it. He had done all of the house cleaning really. So there so was, for the first time in her life, wishing that she had some chores to do. Instead she started snooping._

_Though she knew she saw a lot of excitement being a reporter, her apartment lead her to believe she lived a rather tame lifestyle. There seemed to be no alcohol in the apartment, and she checked all of her usual hiding spots. She found a sewing kit with a bunch of red, yellow, and blue thread and about a million pairs of glasses, though she wasn't surprised about it. Clark probably tripped and broke a pair or two every week. _

_On their bookshelf she found an old scrap book so full that the papers were stuffed in there with abandon. Curious as always, she started flipping through it. Lois didn't quite understand what the scrapbook was for. Obviously it chronicled her and Clark's relationship but with random articles about Superman thrown into it. She decided that she probably ran out of space to put them in and shoved them in the book to save space. _

_She carried the book over to the couch and started going through it. The first picture was one of them talking, liking arguing, at his senior prom. She laughed out loud. She distinctly remembered snapping out of her possessed state and being appalled at the thought of his hand going anywhere near her chest, though she did like seeing him get all worked up. Not that she'd ever admit to it. _

_The next was a picture of the two of them standing beside Mr. and Mrs. Kent, with red, white, and blue balloons scattered behind them. It looked like some kind of political party, maybe when Mrs. Kent became senator. It must have been not long before Mr. Kent passed away. _

_With a heavy heart she looked another page. She and Clark were standing next to each other, she in an orange dress and him in a tux, perhaps at a wedding. They looked nervous around each other, but she could see it in her eyes. She really liked him. She wondered if this was around when they first started dating. _

_There was another of them together at an office party, holding on to each other and looking much more comfortable together. One of them where Lois was smiling at the camera and Clark was smiling down at her like she was the greatest thing in his world. There was another where she was flashing a big shiny diamond with a smug look on her face and the next was one where she was standing with Chloe and a red head, looking super hot in a cheetah print dress and a fake veil stuck in her up-do. _

_There was an entire section dedicated to their wedding. It was beautiful, even she had to admit it. There customized vows were taped in, and when she read them, she started tearing up. There was an ache in her chest that was similar to the one she felt the other night with _him. _There were pictures of them at some beach, presumably for their honeymoon. There was a pregnancy announcement that consisted of a big green typewriter, a smaller black one, and a small multi-colored toy one. One of her favorites was a picture where her head was tossed back with a smile, Clark kissing her giant, swollen belly. Her hand gently rested on his head. _

_The rest of the scrap book was of Jase. Them holding him when he was first born, his cute little outfits, him doing silly things like running around with a red towel tied to his shoulders, pictures of his first steps and what his first word was (it was dada). There was a mothers day card with his tiny red footprints that said "I love you Mommy." She didn't realize she was crying until a tear drop smudged the "L" on the card. She waged an internal struggle, fighting her happiness about being Clark's wife and Jase's mother. For the first time she didn't hate being in the future. For the first time she actually wanted for this to be her life. She just didn't know how to get here. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Lex paced around the Oval Office. His first year as president had been a stressful one. The world was changing rapidly and the whole country felt the impending collapse in the air. Sure they had their superheroes to lift their spirits, but things were bad for people. Computers had replaced workers, there were violent riots at the Mexican border, and there was a lot of tension between the US, Russia, and China, although that was just what he told the pubic. In reality he had made an underground alliance with those leaders and other countries with nuclear capabilities. _

_He had won the American presidency, but Lex wanted more. So much more. He was raised to believe that he was above everyone else, heir to a dynasty that would envelope the whole world. But still he wanted more; to control the entire planet, not just to own a world wide corporation. It was what his father had left for him, or rather what he had taken for himself and now it was time for him to fulfill that destiny. _

_It was hard to carry out his plans in office, with the world watching his every move, waiting for him to either make good on promises or fail. Luckily for Lex, he took over when thing were in turmoil and he was virtually the greatest mind Earth had ever known. He was able to keep his secrets and make his own plans with out the citizens of the United States having any clue as to what was going on. _

_Today he arranged for drastic measures to be taken and to be sure that he would gain the necessary support for his foreign policy plan. A small bomb would go off in a Paris building, occupying Superman while another would go off mere seconds later at the Daily Planet, staging a terrorist attack. And it was only a few minutes away. He had already written his speech, reassuring the public that he had things under control (which unlike most presidents he actually did), telling them that they couldn't put all their faith in vigilante heroes, and convincing them that now more than ever brutal, swift force was needed to deter the enemy. Interrupting his thoughts though, was the piercing ring of his secret phone. _

_"__Yes?" He said, cooly. He knew he was being listened in on, so he used code language. What he really meant by "yes" was, _What's the problem?

_"__There's a problem with your dinner sir. The escargot." His man Scott said, being careful to keep his voice calm and under control. A.K.A., _Things didn't go to according to plan in Paris.

_"__Can it be salvaged?"_

_"__No, sir. It was burned." _The bomb was defused.

_"__Can you find anymore?" _Can you plant another?

_"__We're fresh out. I'm sorry Mr. President." _There's not enough time.

_Lex snapped the phone shut. There was nothing to keep Superman occupied until the timer at the Planet went off. Maybe he had even taken care of the one in Paris. He could be suspicious. But there was not enough time to call it off. Oh well, he thought. An attempted attack was still enough to sway votes in his favor. He smiled. Minutes from now he would be getting a call about the attack in Kansas and chaos would erupt in the streets of Metropolis. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Lois ran up behind Jase, very slowly and quietly, waiting for the right moment to pounce. He looked around to the left and right, and even up for some reason, but never behind him. Suddenly Lois grabbed him around the middle and lifted up above her head. He squealed in delight. They had been playing together in the park for at least an hour. Lois was exhausted and tired of chasing him around the jungle gym time after time, but he was having such a good time that she just kept on. _

_"__Looks like someone's having a good time." Lois recognized her voice instantly. She turned around to see Chloe strolling up the sidewalk with baby Charlotte and Robbie running ahead of her. _

_"__Aunt Chloe!" Jase yelled and sprinted towards her as soon as Lois set him down. She gave him a big squeeze before turning him loose to peek into Charlotte's stroller and play tag with his older cousin. As the boys played together Lois and Chloe migrated over to the benches set up for parents. _

_"__Clark sent you didn't he?" Lois asked after a minute or so. Chloe looked guilty and Lois knew she was caught between protecting her friend and not lying to her cousin. "It's okay, I'm not mad."_

_"__He's just worried about you." Chloe said, defending him._

_"__I know." Lois said and Chloe gave her a startled look. "Anyone would be. Chloe, can I ask you something?" _

_"__Sure."_

_"__Me and Clark…were you upset about us? When we got together I mean?" Lois was nervous again. She knew they had sort of addressed it before, but she still didn't see how Chloe would've ever been alright with it._

_"__I saw it coming. Everyone did really." Chloe paused, thinking. "Honestly, at first I was a little heartbroken. I mean I knew him for years and the second you walked into his life you two had these killer fireworks."_

_"__We did not! We practically hate each other Chloe."_

_"__Come on, Lois. Haven't you ever seen a little boy pull a girls pigtails because he likes her and doesn't know how to deal with it? That's what you two had. I saw it the minute you dunked him that day during sprit week senior year." Chloe laughed. Lois would rather not think about it. "The two of you were meant for each other. Did he ever tell you that he looked into his telescope and saw stars crossing the first night the two of you admitted that you were friends?" _

_Lois shook her head. "Maybe he will tell me. In my future I mean. I just…I have all of these feelings that I don't know what to do with. I realized today that I want this life, but if I go for it I might miss out…with someone else."_

_"__Who?" Chloe asked but when Lois didn't answer she realized that Lois was talking about Superman. How ironic it was, Lois running away from and towards the same end. "Lois I think-"_

_But Lois never got to hear what Chloe thought because sirens screamed from all directions. Firetrucks and ambulances raced towards the downtown area. Lois jumped up and started gathering her things, calling for Jase. _

_"__Where are you going?" Chloe asked quickly._

_"__I need to see what's going on down there. You take the kids and I'll meet up with you later."_

_"__Lois, I don't think that's such a great idea." The boys came running up together, Robbie flushed and sweaty, while Jase was barely out of breath. _

_"__Bud," Lois addressed her son with a smile. "you're going to go with Robbie, Charlotte, and Aunt Chloe for a little bit so mommy can get some stuff done. Okay?" _

_His face fell and he ran up and grabbed on to her legs. "No!"_

_"__It's not up for a vote, kid." She tried to pry him away from her legs but found it to be very difficult. When he saw her struggling he pulled back. She put her hand on his face trying to calm him down, but he busted out crying. _

_"__I wanna go with you mama!" He choked out between sobs. She looked to Chloe for support, after all this was her first toddler meltdown. Her heart was breaking and suddenly she didn't want him out of her sight, not even for a minute. _

_"__Chloe I'll meet up with you later." She picked Jase up and started walking to her car. Chloe called out for her. "It's okay, little cousin. Don't worry about it." _

_Chloe tried to call Clark as Lois pulled off, but there was no answer. She took that as a very, very bad sign. Clark was probably dealing with a crisis and as always, Lois was running straight towards it. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_The streets of Metropolis were crowded with people running around, panicking. Lois parked illegally in a handicapped spot and started heading towards the Planet. She carried Jase, practically jogging to the building. _

_"__What's happening?" She asked an older man who bumped into her. _

_"__There was some sort of explosion at the newspaper place. That Superman saved the building, but people are still scared. I'm not taking any chances on that building not being secure." He pushed past her and kept going. _

_Lois needed this story. It was huge! Lost in the thrill of the chase she didn't notice the savage looking man coming straight for her. He knocked into her like a wrecking ball and tried to yank her purse from her shoulder. She dropped Jase with a little bit less grace than she normal would've and shoved him behind her, shielding him. She was playing tug-of-war with the man for her purse. She saw him reaching for his pocket and was sure he was going to murder her right there on the street. _

_Lois found the would be thief knocked to the ground and Jase standing near him. He was looking at the little boy with a horrified expression and something Lois could only barely see, fear maybe. She was confused though. He tripped, she decided. Her son was only three and didn't have that kind of strength. The man scrambled to his feet and took off in the other direction. _

_She picked up Jase again and shoved her way through the crowd. Her co-workers were already there, trying frantically to get the first quote from the police chief, who stated that the building was safe and the suspect who planted the bomb was in custody thanks to Superman, who was flying into the clouds this very second. _

_"__Daddy!" Jase screamed. Lois scanned the group of reporters for Clark but didn't see him. She elbowed her way to the front. The police chief noticed her out of all the other reporters because she had a child in one arm and a tape recorder in the other. _

_"__Miss Lane." He said, formally. She almost forgot that he knew her by name. _

_"__Can you tell me what happened here, Chief?" _

_"__The bomb detonated in the basement copy room. The blast would have been catastrophic if not for Superman absorbing most of the blow of the explosion, saving the building and all the lives inside of it. The unnamed suspect tried to flee, but was captured by our skilled officers at the Metropolis PD." _

_Jase stopped listening to the man drone on and on, but he didn't whine or wiggle. He was just glad to be in his mommy's arms. He was happy that his mother was finally back. _


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm sorry I'm so terribly lovely people! I've had finals high school graduation and college orientation all in a row. Phew! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read and review. Let me know that you think of Chapter 12 :) **

Going through the crowds at the Smallville Market was like fighting in a large and bloody, but strangely festive battle. In the hectic week leading up to Thanksgiving the residents of Smallville had been stocking up on food, but unfortunately for Lois, she and Martha were nearly always busy at the Talon and had waited until literally the last minute to buy the turkey. Luckily the store owners had chosen to stay open until twelve today, or they wouldn't have had any food at all. Now they were in competition to snag the best one before they were too incredibly picked over. It was a refreshing experience for Lois who never had to fight over a frozen bird before. Between living on the military bases with the General and having a husband that could run and get one without anyone noticing, it had never been a problem for her.

"You look like a dear in headlights." Martha commented with a laugh.

"I don't do much of the grocery shopping." Lois admitted. "Clark's always so busy, but he's adamant about handling the food. Probably because he's scared I'll give the two of them food poisoning."

Martha laughed. "I can give you a few pointers today while-"

"Martha Kent!" A little old lady wobbled her way over to them, excitedly. "I just heard from Mr. Rogers at the feed store that your husband is running for the Kansas State Senate!"

"Hello, Mrs. Turner. It's nice to see you." Martha said, trying to deflect the question. She and Jonathan still didn't see eye-to-eye about him running for office. Jonathan hadn't officially put his name on the ballet yet, but Martha could see it coming, no matter how hard she fought it.

"Is it true Martha? Is Jonathan going up against Lex Luthor?" Her loud words had gotten the attention of other shoppers and they started crowding around the shopping cart, waiting for her to answer. Lois couldn't believe so many people were shopping on Thanksgiving morning.

"Well, yes, he's considering it." Martha answered, tentatively.

"That's wonderful!" Mrs. Tuner exclaimed. "Kansas needs a man in office who truly knows the problems we have!"

"We'll help you in any way we can." A man from the back said.

"The Luthors are so far removed from the working class, one of them would never look out for the common man's interest!" Another man said loudly.

Lois could tell that Martha was getting overwhelmed. As a future Senator, she would learn how to deal with it, but at this moment, Lois wanted to get her out of there. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your encouragement and support. As of right now, Mrs. Kent is late for dinner and we need to be off. If you have any questions or comments, you can send them down to Hickory Lane! Thank you!"

She quickly steered Martha and the cart to the check out in the front and got both to the car safely. They were on the road in less than two minutes.

"Thank you, Lois." Martha said, sagging in relief. "I guess I just didn't realize how many people would actually benefit from Jonathan being in office."

"People need a man with strong morals and a kind heart to represent them. They always want that, but sometimes they are lead astray. I can't think of a man who radiates that truth and justice more than Jonathan. Except for Clark."

"That was the problem in the first place." Martha admitted, solemnly.

"What? Clark?"

"All that media attention…I don't want anyone to research our family in too much detail. I wouldn't have Jonathan's political life allow Clark's secret to be revealed."

Lois grabbed Martha's hand, only taking her eyes off the road for a split second. "You know Clark wouldn't be okay with either one of you to give up your dreams because of him. As a mother though, I understand that need to shield your child from any harm, no matter the cost to you. But Martha, Jonathan can do this. If you play your cards right, no one will ever find out."

"How can we do that though?" Martha asked, skeptically, but with a lighter heart than before.

"By being true to yourselves. Don't pretend to be people that you aren't." Lois smiled at her, confidently. That idea had gotten her a job before and she knew that her efforts would get Jonathan elected.

"Have you ever thought about running a campaign, Lois? I think you'd be quite good at it."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

Back at the farm Martha began to cook and Lois tried to help, failing miserably. Martha made mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and started roasting the turkey, leaving Lois to helplessly watch. Wanting to include her future daughter-in-law, Martha gave Lois a job that she couldn't mess up: making lemonade. While Lois was stirring Clark and Jonathan came inside to wash up. Clark went straight upstairs to take a shower, smiling brightly as he passed by. Jonathan lingered in the kitchen, sneaking bites of food and making good-natured jokes about how dangerous it was to have Lois in the kitchen.

"Lois, honey, can you make sure nothing burns? I need to speak to Jonathan for a few minutes." Martha gabbed her surprised husband by the hand and lead him on to the porch.

Lois enjoyed the silence and the repetitive motion of mixing the lemonade. Lately she had so many things on her mind that she felt like she just couldn't catch up. It scared her that Chloe had caught on to her secrets so quickly. She was not only terrified that someone else would find out about her marriage, but of the repercussions it would have on the future. Chloe wasn't supposed to know any of this. Could her cousin really carry that burden without letting anyone know? Would she lie to Clark everyday, knowing how much it hurt her when he did the same thing? And what about Brainiac? Was Clark supposed to know his identity yet? Could she allow Clark to protect her now that Brainiac had a vendetta against her? But most importantly, how would it effect their future?

Being in Smallville was too risky. There were too many variables, too many moments she could miss and change by being there, or by not being there at all. It was so stressful, trying to remember back so far, especially when she hadn't paid as much attention to Clark or the events in his life. She didn't want to leave and move off the farm, but she felt as if that were inevitable at this point. Lois was moving closer and closer to the unknown everyday, knowing that whatever she had to do to get home, she would have to do alone.

Suddenly she felt sick again. Her head pounded and the world started spinning. She could hear everything. Cows shuffling around in the far pasture, a kitchen timer going off down the street, Clark's faint singing, the water running down his back, and a conversation going on outside.

"What made you change your mind?" Jonathan asked. Lois could tell that he was relieved about something, but also faintly suspicious.

"Lois." Martha replied simply.

"Did she tell you I was going to win? Because I think that would be considered cheating."

"No, no. It was nothing like that. She just made me realize that I was letting my fear hold you back and that's unfair to you."

"You were right to be concerned, sweetheart." Lois heard him pause, his heart was beating faster. "Sometimes I think back on our lives and I can't believe it. We raised a son that can do so much good for the world. I've seen it so many times, but it still amazes me every time. There are times though, when I want to make that difference too. I want to better the lives of others, feel the way he feels when he saves those people. And I can't help but think of myself as a selfish man when doing that puts our son in danger."

"Jonathan, don't think of it like that. Clark is so much like you. Everything he does, everything he learned came from you. Your strength, your compassion, your wisdom; it all made him into that man. Lois was right. If we're careful, and if we're honest people won't need to look beyond the surface. I think that you can do so much good for Kansas. It's your home. Your blood, sweat, and tears are soaked into this dirt. This is something you need to do. Not just for us, for yourself."

"You think so?" He voice was hesitant, but full of so many unspoken things.

"Senator Kent has a nice ring to it." She giggled and Lois could tell that she was kissing him.

A hand on her shoulder snapped her back to reality and made her hand fly to her heart, causing her to drop the wooden spoon. It didn't hit the floor, though.

"Here." Clark handed it back to her after catching it. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just have a lot on my mind." She turned away from him, not sure if she could hide her emotions.

"It's a shame that Chloe and Lana are busy." He said, trying to make conversation. He couldn't help but feel as if he had upset her in some way, but he had no idea how or why.

"Where are they?"

"Lana is with Nell and Dean, Nell's husband. Chloe is coming down later tonight. She won't make dinner though."

Lois nodded, but stayed silent. She walked around, cleaning up the counters to avoid eye contact with him.

"Not that I'm not grateful you're with us." He stammered quickly.

She smiled at him. She always liked to watch him get all worked up. "Don't worry about it. I know what you meant."

"Lois?" He said, reluctantly.

"Yeah, Smallville?"

"Are you sure you're okay? You don't seem like yourself. Is everything alright with…?" He glanced down at her torso to indicate the baby.

"I was just…thinking about how I'm going to miss this place." She sighed, then realized what she had said. She hoped he hadn't caught on to what she had meant and that she hadn't said too much.

"You're leaving?"

She didn't answer right away. "I mean, when I get back. I can't stay here forever."

"You're making it sounds as if you'll never be back here." He studied her, noticing the sadness in her eyes. "Is something going to happen to the farm?"

"No, Clark. You still own it." She didn't lie to him, just didn't tell the whole truth. They had decided against selling it after Clark and Martha had talked about it. They had rented it out to a family of down on their luck farmers, who didn't need to go up to the loft. Her husband still kept both of his fortresses.

"Oh. Do you not come back here for a while? I thought you said we were really good friends."

"We are." She paused and decided she needed to show him some trust. "To be honest, Smallville, I am leaving. I'm going to Metropolis."

"Why? What's wrong?" Clark didn't have a good feeling about Lois leaving. If she was all the way in Metropolis he wouldn't be able to protect her and he knew that Lois always found trouble. He couldn't imagine how much danger she would be in if she went to a large city. It was hard enough to keep her safe in Smallville.

"I had the chance once, to know how you feel everyday-"

"What? How?"

"I got your powers one time. It's a long, complicated story. It was hard, though, having to consciously think about every little thing you do. How little strength you have to use when you're hugging someone or shaking their hand. Thinking about every word you say before it comes out of your mouth. That's what it's like for me now. I'm so scared that I'll say too much, like I always do, and ruin the entire future. I think it's just better if I stay away and figure out how to fix this on my own."

"But you're not on your own Lois." He took a step closer to her so that they were almost touching. If she hadn't known better she would've thought he was about to kiss her. "Stay."

"I can't Clark. I can't risk pulling a Lane-sized screw up on this one." She took a step back, but couldn't shake the feeling of needing to be close to him.

"Please. Just think about it. I don't want anything to happen to you." He didn't invade her space again by getting closer to her.

He had no idea why, but the thought of Lois not living at the farm was strange to him. Before, with younger Lois, he was glad when she left and gave him his space back, but now the thought of her leaving upset him. He hadn't realized before how nice it was to be himself around Lois. Even though she knew he who he really was, she didn't treat him any differently than anyone else, she just expected him to do his best. He had never experienced that with anyone besides his parents and he wasn't ready to lose it.

Lois wanted to tell him that the way he was looking at her right now was the reason she had to leave, but she just nodded her head. "I'll think about it. I'm going to wash up for dinner. Try the lemonade, make sure it's sweet enough."

He smiled in agreement and watched her walk up the stairs, noticing that her hips were wider, her bottom more round and how well it suited her. He thought that her slight change in shape must have been caused by carrying her son. He began to wonder how else her body would change, and suddenly realized that he was envisioning her full chest. He internally scolded himself. He had never before been the type of guy to shamelessly admire the female body. He couldn't be interested in Lois like that anyway. He admitted she was attractive, anyone could see that, but he couldn't really be attracted to her. It was Lois! Plus he was happy with Lana. He had always loved her since he was a little kid.

He picked up a glass and poured himself some of her lemonade, shaking his head. This whole situation was messing with his head. Sometimes he forgot that Lois was Lois and not just someone who looked like her and called him "Smallville." He took a sip and spat it right back back out. Somehow she had switched the sugar for the salt. He laughed while using super speed to make some more lemonade. Yes, that was definitely Lois, but he didn't mind all that much. She always found a way to lift some of the weight he was carrying.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

The table was set up immaculately, with a vase of red tulips placed in the middle. There was a mountain of food and four chairs circling the table. Martha always went all out during Thanksgiving then took the left over food to the local nursing home. She always felt like it was a time to not only be thankful for what you have, but to help others too. Lois couldn't help but enjoy the holiday, which made her feel incredibly guilty for not spending every minute trying to get home.

"You know," Jonathan said, once the four of them had gotten settled and started eating. "Clark's first Thanksgiving here he got so excited that he pressed on the table too hard and broke it right in two!"

Laughter filled the air and Clark hung his head in embarrassment. Lois slugged him on the shoulder and he started laughing too. "Oops."

"Speaking of Thanksgivings gone wrong," Lois began, laughing so hard she could barely continue. "Last year my husband and I went all out. It's his favorite holiday and we decided to throw this huge party at our house. Robbie, one of the children there, decided to stick a cube of cheese up his nose and it got stuck. So Clark had to use his heat vision to melt it. My son decided that the whole thing was so hilarious, he too, would stick cheese up his nose. And of course I start freaking out, thinking he's going to suffocate, so I stand up way too quickly and knock the whole thing over. By the end of it, we just ordered Chinese food and called it a night." Lois, Martha and Jonathan laughed again, but Clark stayed silent.

"I used my heat vision?" He was worried. Did everyone in the future know his secret? Would he just used his powers randomly, in everyone of a whole party?

"We were among friends." Lois studied him.

"Friends that know my secret?"

"Friends that have their own secrets to protect. Don't worry, you didn't do anything that, well, _you_ wouldn't do." They all threw her curious looks but, she continued to eat her food, not giving them the opportunity to ask her anymore questions. Something else weighted heavily on Clark's mind. Why would he he spend the holidays in Metropolis with his so-called "friends" instead of his own family? He pushed it out of his mind as the conversation flowed on.

Once they had finished their meals, Jonathan cleared his throat. "Lois, I know that you've probably known about our family tradition for a few years, but I'd like to go around the table now and everyone say what they're most thankful for. My family is the most precious thing I have and I am so thankful that we are so close. No matter what challenge or hardship we come across, we can overcome it together. We've been through two meteor showers, solar flares, and the Luthors, but have come out of it stronger. With out you, I never would have the strength to run for office. And Lois, I want you to know that I include you in that. You're part of this family now."

Lois couldn't speak, so she just nodded her head while her eyes brimmed with tears. She was so touched and heartbroken at the same time. Jonathan grabbed her hand and squeezed it, reassuringly.

"I'm thankful for the men in my life." Martha continued, without missing a beat. She knew Lois needed a minute to breathe and process her emotions. "The two of you have made me so proud. As a mother, there is no greater joy than to see the wonderful man you married reflected back from your son."

"Thanks mom." Clark said, flashing her a rare kind of smile that was reserved only for her. Lois stared at him, painfully aware of how many times she had gotten that look from Jase.

"No one is ever fully ready to admit that their children are grown enough to start their own families," Martha said to Lois, with a smile. "but I know that your mother-in-law, where ever she is, couldn't have dreamed of a better woman for her son. You are so smart, strong, beautiful and kind-hearted. I'm so thankful to be able to see for myself the kind of woman you have become and that you are so close to Clark."

"Thank you, Martha. That means more to me than you will ever know." Lois whispered so that her voice wouldn't crack from crying.

"Would it be corny to say 'ditto'?" Clark asked, with a smirk. Lois stared at him in surprise.

"Clark Kent, did you just make a joke?" He smiled at her softly and she realized he was trying to lighten the mood because she was crying. She needed to go home soon or she was going to end up kissing him. Listening to her family talk about everything they were thankful for right when everything is about to be taken from them, was too much for her to handle. No matter how Clark tried to convince her, she had to stand her ground and leave Smallville. "I'm thankful that I got a second chance to be here with all of you again. I can honestly say I'm not looking forward to the day when I have to say goodbye."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

Lex stared at the numbers on his spread sheet, trying to figure out a way to manipulate them. Public polls showed that the people of Kansas wanted Jonathan Kent instead of him. The first thing he ever tried to do own his own, and it was pointing towards failure. He had hired political advisors who had all told him to essentially become Jonathan Kent. Do more charity work. Make yourself more assessable to the people. Even get married and have a child. But none of them truly believed that Lex could win without changing himself. Jonathan Kent was just such a good wholesome man that Lex could never measure up.

The only thing he could really do to have a chance of winning the Senate race was to tear down that imagine of a morally strong Kansas farmer. To win he would have to make people understand that Jonathan wasn't the saint he acted like; he was just a man who sinned like the rest of them. Lex was in the process of searching for the right man to dig up some smelly dirt on the Kents. Bad press could ruin someone for years, if not their whole life. Lex knew that from personal experience.

His cellphone buzzed in his pocket at and he casually looked at the screen before answering. It was Barrett, the man who had taken care of the Luthors for years when it came to keeping their hands clean. The conversation was short, just to confirm that tonight was the night that Lex wanted him to search Lois's apartment.

Lex leaned back in his chair, drinking his glass of scotch and thinking. There was a part of him, buried deep under his curiosity, anger and burning ambition that second-guessed his decision to invade Lois's space. He wanted to know what she was doing with Fine. He wanted to know why she was acting strangely and what reason she had to steal from his lab. But mostly, he cared very little about Lois, even if she was in cahoots with the professor. He wanted to know about the aliens that he felt must have had a long history in his life.

Tonight was the perfect night though. Lana had mentioned to him that Lois was living with the Kents again and he knew that on a holiday like Thanksgiving, they would all be together for family time. It made him sick to think about. The bond that they shared. The fact the Jonathan and Martha chose to love their son, rather than being forced to because of biology. He hated Clark for having that life and for never truly accepting him as a friend. He hated him for having Lana and not appreciating her the way he should.

Lana was the longest relationship he had with a woman since his mother died. She had this inner goodness that shined out and touched other people. But she had this darkness inside of her and a need to prove herself that he admired. He felt like she was the only woman on Earth how could truly learn to love him, beyond all the money and power he possessed. If he was being honest with himself, he knew he was running the race for her, so that she would see that like Clark, he too could be an honorable man.

He took a long sip from his glass. If Barrett found the answers he was looking for tonight, he might be able to take care of both Lois and Clark for good.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

Lois felt horribly guilty for leaving the way she did. A note on the kitchen counter and the drawer of her things gone. Her note had explained her reasons for going the best way she could phrase it, and asked Clark not to run around Metropolis looking for her. She promised to call when she found a way to her time and told all of them how much she cared for them, but she didn't think it was enough. She fully expected Clark to come around and check on her anyway. Not that she minded as long as he didn't turn those baby-blues on her and ask her to come back.

The last thing she had left to do in Smallville was to pick up the rest of her belongings at the Talon. She wasn't going to take everything, incase she really was able to go home. She didn't want to leave her younger self stranded with no clothes of furniture. She just wanted a few sentimental things like her Whitesnake collection that Clark had stubbornly not taken to the farm and those horrible earrings she would wear on her first date with him. She just needed to help herself make better fashion choices.

Walking through the darkened coffeeshop made her feel uneasy and as she climbed up the stairs she knew that something was wrong. The door to her apartment was closed and when she tried it, it was locked. She shrugged her paranoid feelings off and walked in, scanning the living room. Being married to Superman wasn't easy and she even had to admit to herself that she could barely report on an Elementary school function without being kidnapped or shot at. Luckily for her, Clark was always there to save her or she would've been toast a long time ago.

She sat her bag down on the kitchen counter and started walking to her bedroom when she noticed a shadow moving in the moonlight under the crack in the bathroom door. _Shit. _Lois backed up as quietly as she could but it was too late. The door burst open and she found herself staring into cold, black eyes. The man lunged for her and caught a knee to the stomach. She ran for the other direction but the man caught her by the arm and punched her hard in the face. Dazed by the blow, she hit him back slower than she should have and knew that it could very well be a fatal mistake. He dodged her fist and ended up at the wrong angle to be hit with her elbow. She knew that it must have hurt him, because she had to knock out a pilot with it one time.

This man was a lot stronger than that poor pilot though. Bloody and furious, he squared his shoulders and grabbed tightly on to her hair. She struggled with all she had, but it was no use. He was stronger than her and too large to hit anywhere necessary to make him lose his grip on her. He slammed her into the wall and she hit the floor like a sack of potatoes, out cold.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

Chloe found Clark in the barn, staring out at the stars. She hadn't seen him since she found out that he would be married to her cousin ten years from now. He was so beautiful and righteous that it almost hurt her. He was her best friend and she had given up so much for him. She had always put him first, protecting his secret with her life and putting her own feelings aside so that it wouldn't burden him. Would those feelings fade with time? They must have, she decided. It was the only way she would be able to bare being around Clark and Lois and still manage to be close with them. She had always assumed it would never work out between her and Clark because the only woman that he would ever be able to love was Lana. Now that she knew differently, she realized that it was her that he couldn't grow into and that hurt more than anything she had ever felt.

"Where's my cousin?" She asked, after watching him for a few minutes without being noticed. He turned to face her, sadness and something near defeat etched on to his face. He handed her a piece of paper without speaking. It was a letter from Lois, saying that she needed to run before she altered the future and asked that Clark not go and look for her. She stared at him, trying to read his expression. He cared about her, that much she could tell. She had always seem the sparks between them, and now that they were confirmed, she could actually see them together.

"Go after her." Chloe said, simply.

"She asked me not to, Chloe. There must be a reason."

"Since when did you listen to everything Lois said? You know how she is! You need to go after her before a tree falls on her or something and convince her that she should be at the farm."

"What if she's right?" He said, miserably. "She knows a lot more about this stuff than we do."

"God, the two of you are so like sometimes." She said, frustrated.

"What?"

"She's trying to protect you and isn't thinking about herself. You said that Brainiac is pissed off at her right? He could kill her or make her sick like he did with your mom." She said, loudly. Chloe was actually scared for Lois. She couldn't even think about a world without her cousin in it.

"She doesn't want me to go after her. She's going to be super angry with me." He argued. He knew Chloe was right and he did want to go get her, but he didn't want to use his powers to invade her privacy.

"She's is always angry with you. Clark, you save people that you don't even know. You care a lot about Lois. Save her." He nodded and disappeared. Chloe stared at the spot that he used to occupy, with a bitter taste in her mouth. She did the right thing. That didn't mean her heart was any less broken.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O

Lois wasn't in Metropolis. Clark had searched the whole city without finding her before he decided to go back to the Talon and look. From a few blocks away he could hear the commotion. He burst through the front door, bending the frame slightly as he did so. The door to her apartment was wide open and as he came through, the sight he saw stopped him in his tracks. A tall dark haired man hand just finished patting her down, running his hands all over her unconscious body and was proceeding to kick her.

In a millisecond Clark crossed the room and flung the guy in the other direction. The plaster crumbled from the impact of the man's back hitting the wall. He looked around, hurt and bewildered until his eyes reached Clark's face. The man looked terrified as Clark took another step towards him. He was so furious that he was shaking and didn't think he could control himself. The only thing that stopped him was a whimper coming from the Lois.

"Lois!" He turned away from the man and sped over to her. Her blood covered the floor around her. It was way too much. He leaned over her, checking her pulse and gently lifting her head off the floor. Her eyes fluttered open and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Clark?" Her voice was strained.

"I'm here. You're going to be okay." He said firmly.

"Am I dead, baby?" She whispered and closed her eyes again. She was hallucinating about her husband, he thought. He shook her awake and checked her pupils. She probably had a concussion. He took a moment to use his x-ray vision on her. Nothing broken. He listened hard. Two strong heartbeats, one slightly faster than the other, met his ears. He smiled and left a little guilty. He was hearing her child's heartbeat before her.

"You're not dead, Lois. You're in the Talon and I'm going to take you to the hospital. Hold on." He set her back down a whirled around to face her attacker. He was gone though, had taken his precious few seconds while Clark was checking on Lois to run for it. Clark started to run after him when Lois tried to stand up and stop him, but fell back down.

"Where are you going?" She asked, panicked. Now that the cloud of unconsciousness had left her, she could see things more clearly. Clark was upset, that was easy to tell. He wasn't thinking straight.

"I'm going to find the man that did this to you."

"No! Stay with me." She begged.

"Lois." He scolded. "That man needs to be locked up. He hurt you. He could've killed you!"

"You're going to hurt him, Clark. You won't mean to but you will. Come back." Reluctantly he walked back over to her and kneeled beside her. He kept listening at turning his head in the direction of the assailant. He would go back for him once Lois was safely in the hospital.

"Don't do this," Lois said, putting a hand on his arm.

"I can't just sit here and let him walk away."

"I know you. You wouldn't forgive yourself if you hurt someone just because you're angry. You've seen his face. You know what he looks like. Find him once you've calmed down." She put a hand to his face, making him look into her eyes. She saw it when he had made the right decision and smiled. "Okay, Smallville. Let's go to the hospital."

He smirked at her and shook his head before picking her up off the ground. As he began walking down the stairs, something else hit him. "Why do you think that guy was in your apartment?"

"Probably trying to rob the place." She lied. She thought it was deeper than that but thought the smart thing would be to keep it to herself for the moment.

"You're not leaving now, are you? I think I would be better if you stayed at the farm."

"You're right." She admitted wearily. "I guess I'm moving back in. I just need to learn to keep my mouth shut."

Clark gave her a disbelieving look. She had to agree with him. The entire future rested on her keeping a cool head and behaving herself. She couldn't help but feel that everyone was screwed.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Bare with _****_me people, the politics had to come into play with this chapter. But thank you for reading and reviewing! Let me know what you think :)_**

_"__Watch it!" Lois screamed into the face of a secret service agent. The man rolled his eyes at her and continued to check her for weapons, pausing again on her backside, which was the reason for her first outburst. Clark was watching her from the back of the line apprehensively. He didn't appreciate another man putting his hands on her, but he was more worried that she would throw a fist and end up in federal prison. _

_The president was coming to the Daily Planet today to make a speech in light of last week's attack. Therefore, all the staff had to be searched for weapons and guards were placed throughout the building. Clark had a suspicious feeling that Lex had ulterior motives for flying to Kansas to make a speech rather than doing it at the White House. _

_"__Kent, Lane, Grant, Marcus, Farley, and Edwards! When you're done being terrorized by the man, come to my office!" Perry screamed at them as he walked down the line and into his office. A guard tried to stop him and politely asked him to remain with the rest of the reporters, but Perry triumphantly told him he could shove that request where the sun doesn't shine._

_Lois snatched her things off the table where they were being searched and gave the man who had patted her down a glare, before stomping off in the direction of the Editor's office. Clark shook his head. He had married a strong woman with a give-em-hell attitude, and he felt sure he would be paying for it for the rest of his life. But God did he love her. _

_"__Lane, I'm picking you and the rest of the names I called to report on that speech. We're having both film and print, but The Inquisitor among others is going to try and push their way to the front for the best coverage." The door opened and slammed behind them. It was that blonde reporter Grant and Farley, a tall balding man who had consistently brought her maple doughnuts since she'd started working. "Grant. Marcus. I was just telling Lane about how I'm going to set everyone up when President Luthor makes his speech. I'll wait until everyone else is here because I hate having to repeat myself." _

_A few minutes later when Clark finally walked through the door, Lois thought he couldn't have come sooner. Cat Grant was running her mouth off the whole time and Lois's nerves couldn't take it anymore. "Kent. Good, you're here. Now, this his how I want you to alined. Marcus and Kent, I want you on the outside. You two are the biggest and strongest and I don't want you to let anyone past you-"_

_"__Hopefully Clark won't fall and knock us over," Cat giggled sweetly. _

_Lois turned her whole body around to face her and Cat shrunk back a bit. "I don't think anyone wanted to know your opinion, sweetie." _

_"__Ladies." Perry scolded. Lois crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a defiant look. Clark hid his smile. It was nice to see Lois defending him, even when she made fun of him the rest of the time. "Then I want Farley, Edwards and Grant in line with the cameras and mic. Lane I want you front and center incase you can snag a quote." _

_"__Mr. White," Cat began to argue. "I think it would be more beneficial for someone with more experience in front of the camera to be in the front. Lois only does prink stuff. No one would recognize her." _

_"__Grant, my newspaper is not a democracy! Lane is going to be at the front, and if you don't like that, I'll replace you with Alvarez." Cat didn't say another word and Lois decided that she liked her boss very, very much. "Right. Now go stick to the plan and get down there!"_

_"__Aye ye Chief." Lois said, winking at him. _

_"__Don't call me chief!" He bellowed back, but smiled at her. _

_Lois followed Clark down the stairs while their coworkers took the elevator. Cat looked as if she was going to join them, but thought twice about it after she saw the look on Lois's face. The two of them were silent as the walked down a few floors. After her revelation and confusing feelings from the other week, she didn't know how to act around him. She knew couldn't have feelings for him. Yes, he was attractive. Hell, the first time she met him she became acquainted with Clark Jr., but it was Clark! King of Geekville. It was the kid that was messing with her head. That stupid beautiful boy who made her fall in love every time she looked into those blue-grey eyes he had inherited from his father. There was no denying that he was Clark's, they looked identical. But she loved that rambunctious little kid that had her fiery spirit and Clark's kind heart. It was so frustrating to miss that chunk of her life and have it all spoiled for her. _

_"__Thanks." Clark said._

_"__For what?" Lois was confused. She hadn't been paying any attention at all. _

_"__For defending me back there." _

_"__No problem. What are friends…I mean…wives for?" She replied awkwardly. _

_"__Hey," He stopped on the stairs and grabbed her hand. _

Oh God, he's going to lay one on me, _She thought. _I'm not ready for this.

_"__I love you, but I know that you don't feel the same way and it's okay. We are friends and it doesn't have to be more than that unless you want it to be." He said sincerely. She stared at him and then for some reason she couldn't explain she hugged him tightly. It took him a second to hug her back. He smelled wonderful. How had she never noticed that before? She pulled back quickly and straightened her shirt. _

_"__Yeah, well, I hate that bitch Cat anyway." Clark laughed very hard as they continued down the stairs and met up with the other reporters. Once they had lined up the way Perry had wanted, they were searched again. A line of Secret Service agents lined up in front of the stage where Lex would be. They all looked very intimidating and Clark was glad that Perry had put him on the end incase he had to make a quick get away to the phone booth. _

_"__Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States, Lex Luthor!" The crowd of on-lookers behind them screamed and shouted. _

_"__My fellow Americans," Lex said once the noise had died down. "For years our great nation has been under the illusion that we are safe, that we have nothing to fear due to the so-called heroes. All though there were no victims this time, the startling events of last Tuesday are a reminder that we must take matters of national security into our own hands, and not leave them to the fate of these men and women who live beyond the law, beyond the reach of our judicial system. The only way to insure that tragedies like this one don't occur more often is to take those easy available weapons out of terrorist's hands. I implore you, fellow Americans, to speak to your local Representatives and Congressmen to vote in favor for my bill to renew and heighten security for the Patriot Act. There are those among us who feel as though that bill is the government putting it's nose where it doesn't belong, but like I have said many times before, you have nothing to fear if you have nothing to hide. I am also planning to put up the VRA, vigilante registration act, up for another vote at the house. The events of last Tuesday should stand to remind people that acts of terrorism should be handled by our military and our government officials instead of persons with unnatural abilities-" Many of the crowd started booing loudly. Metropolis loved it's superheroes and it's people would not stand to hear bad things about them. _

_"__This is also why I wanted to introduce my new bill on foreign policy," He continued once his security team had glared the people into submission. "This bill would cut off most trading ties with counties that pose high-risk threats to the United States. For too long our country has bowed down to the will of these nations that seek to destroy us and encourage smaller terrorist groups to attack us. Without the influence of our money and freedoms, these countries will be more willing to compromise and less willing to engage in conflicts with us. I am also gathering the best minds in the world to look at our international relationships and find areas where we can patch up the broken pieces. And as I look around at the sight of what could have been horrific destruction and loss of life, I am reminded that the resilience and strength of the American spirit can take us out of the darkest times and build up this great country again! Thank you!" The crowd roared again, but with less enthusiasm than before. _

_Cat Grant bumped Lois aside and held a microphone almost into Lex's mouth. "That was a wonderful speech Mr. President. Could you give the Daily Planet a quote about this new bill you just announced?" _

_Lex blatantly ignored her and stared right at Lois. "Miss Lane, how lovely to see you again. I wanted to offer you the first interview with me about my Eastern Separation Bill." _

_Lois stared at him as if he had two heads. Lex was acting as if they had never had a history back in Smallville, as if he had never detested her and she had never openly challenged him. But who was she to turn down an interview with the most powerful man in the free world? "Yes I would. When and where can you schedule me?" _

_"__Well I would like to do it right now, if you could. In your office." He said, enthusiastically. _

_"__Um, alright. Follow me." She held her head up high as the President and his entourage followed behind her. Lois had a suspicious feeling that things weren't all they seemed. She couldn't comprehend how Lex had been elected in the first place, but she did know one thing for sure. Just because he was the President didn't mean she was going to go easy on him. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0_

_Once her office had been searched and cleared, Lois rolled her and Clark's chairs out and placed them across from each another. She pulled out a tape recorder and sat down, expectantly. _

_"__Forgive me," She said, with a smile. "I wasn't prepared to sit with a President this morning."_

_"__No, no. The fault's mine. I should've had someone schedule an appointment with you, but I saw you standing in with the other reporters and I just thought that there couldn't be a better person to write down what I have to say." He leaned closer to her. She watched him cautiously. Did he really think she was going to just be his messenger and not put her own spin on it? _

_"__Well then, let's get started, shall we?" Lex gave her a nod and leaned back, crossing his hands and placing them in his lap. He was too relaxed and Lois was going to have to change that. "You said earlier, that you wanted to cut off trade with hostile countries. How would you classify a country as hostile towards the United States?" _

_"__Well we would of course have a number system, to determine the level of danger that nation poses, but simply put, countries that have had a history of purposefully trying to harm us physically, economically, or have supported nations at war with us." _

_"__That seems like a pretty broad spectrum, Mr. President. How would these places qualify for your number system? How would you justify which is the worst threat and which is the least?" _

_"__Countries with nuclear capabilities like Russia or China, for example, would be at the top of that list." Lex replied shortly. _

_"__But couldn't your administration come up with a more peaceful solution than to antagonize and put up trading restrictions with those countries? Why poke the bear with a stick?" Lois looked deep into his cold blue eyes, trying to draw the truth from them, but all she saw was emptiness._

_"__Our military is the best and strongest in the world. We spend billions to train soldiers and invest in better weapons technology. Why shouldn't we exercise that power and use it to our benefit? As the daughter of a four star general I would think you could understand that." Lex lend closer to her and gently placed a hand on her knee. Was he flirting with her right now? Gross. And good for the General, for earning another star. _

_"__As an army brat I learned the value of human life. I don't think using the military on arbitrary whims at the risk of seven billion lives is very responsible. But tell me more about your ideas for expanding the Patriot Act and reinstating the RVA. Mentioning them both in the same speech couldn't be a coincidence. How do you feel the two are connected?" Lex had moved away from her after she had pounced on him about the military and was now pointedly staring at her Pulitzer winning article on Superman. _

_"__I think that superheroes are more foe than friend. I believe than ordinary people can make just as much a difference as super humans. When people put their trust in these false idols and lose faith in their government, it could become a disaster for them. I think that soldiers and government officials should be the ones protecting the people and deserve the praise, which is another reason I support gun control. I think that guns create a cycle of fear which only leads to more violence. That violence should be handled by the proper forces and not vigilantes seeking glory. So yes, I think that the two bills are so intertwined that it is impossible to separate them. These vigilantes should have to register with the government to be responsible for their actions as well as for the safety of the people who they could so easily turn on. The Patriot Act was written to catch terrorists and that's what I believe these 'superheroes' are. Terrorists who save the world today and could cause the end of it tomorrow."_

_"__You're right on your way to becoming a dictator aren't you?" Lois said before she could stop herself. She knew it probably wasn't a smart idea to get on the wrong side of the President, but she couldn't help it. She was furious. _

_"__Excuse me?" Lex said with a raised brow. He wasn't used to people directly challenging him. _

_"__You want to strip people of their weapons and give that power to your military. You want to make people's one true force of hope be the government. You can't stand that other men may be more powerful than you, and you're creating a nuclear thunderstorm! You're halfway to becoming the Hitler of this generation!" _

_To Lois's surprise, Lex started laughing. "Oh, Miss Lane you certainly are a riot! That's why I picked you for this interview. Not a meek bone in your body. It's good sometimes, for a man in power to be knocked down a peg, especially by a beautiful woman." _

_"__Uh…thank you. I think." Lois was almost speechless. The Lex she knew would never take an insult like that and certainly not compliment her afterwards. _

_"__Mr. President?" One of this bodyguards politely interrupted. "Your fight leaves in an hour."_

_"__Yes, thank you Dean. I was just finishing up with Miss Lane." Lex stood up and offered Lois his hand. He took hers and gently kissed it. Lois resisted the urge to snatch it back from him. "I do look forward to reading your article. Until next time." _

_Lois watched him until he was down the hall and out of eyesight before sitting back down and saying to herself, "What the hell?"_

_"__That's what I've been wondering." A voice from behind said. She jumped out of her seat and turned to find Superman casually leaning next to the window._

_"__Whoa, dude! Can you make yourself invisible or something?" Lois said. Superman busted out laughing. _

_"__No, I flew through the window. So, beautiful woman who knocks men down a peg, huh?" He walked up to her and smiled. _

_Lois was embarrassed but put on her flirty attitude. "Well, some men would say that."_

_"__I think all men would." He replied, flirting back with her. She raised a brow. So maybe they did have a thing. "So you called the President a Nazi and accused him of turning America into a totalitarian regime?" _

_"__How…?"_

_"__Super hearing." He replied casually. _

_"__Of course you have super hearing." She rolled her eyes. "But, you know that Lex is a complete psycho, right?"_

_"I suppose that's one way to describe him."_

_"__So why haven't you done anything about him yet?" She said, stiffly. _

_"__What would you have me do, Lois? Put the President of the United States on the moon? Or kill him outright?" It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. _

_"__No, I guess you're right. Lex on the moon is a nice thought though." She smiled and he smirked at her. "So what should we do to get rid of him?" _

_"__The only way would be to find evidence of some kind of criminal activity and impeach him. Lex has always been careful about covering his tracks though." Clark trailed off. _

_"__You knew him before he was president?" Lois said, curious. Maybe he could tell her why Lex was acting so abnormally towards her. _

_"__I did." He answered softly, but in a tone that let her know he didn't want to talk about it further than that. _

_"__Well…it certainly was to his benefit that someone tried to blow this place up, don't you think?" _

_"__Lois…you're a genius. God I lo-" He broke off, horrified. He had almost told her that he loved her. He could see that she had caught on to it. _

_"__I have to go. I'll let you know if I find anything." He was already out the window as he heard her calling for him to come back. _

_Lois turned away from the window. So he loved her, did he? Poor Clark. She was cheating on him! How could she be such a horrible wife? Even if she didn't love Clark anymore, how could he flat out have an affair behind his back? She never thought of herself as that kind of woman. _

_Suddenly Superman was back in front of her, hands on her hips. Her heart slammed into her chest. "Do you really-"_

_Clark shut Lois up the only way he knew how. By kissing her passionately, with all the punt up frustration, longing, and love that he had been holding in for weeks. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pressed herself hard against him as his tongue slid along her bottom lip. He wrapped his arms around her and he ran them up and down her back, making her feel like the only thing in the universe was him. Then, he pulled away, looked into her eyes, smiled slightly and was just gone. _

_She sighed with wanting. She had never been kissed like this in her entire life. It was amazing. She couldn't imagine anyone receiving a better kiss than that one. She understood now. She could cheat on Clark because she was in love with Superman in a way that she had never been with any other man before him and would never be with anyone after him. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0_

_Clark didn't know what he was thinking. How could he be so damn stupid? He had left! He could've saved himself the knowledge that Lois would make out with another man while being married to him, even if it was with him and he did initiate it. But he just couldn't resist it anymore. He had to kiss Lois or he would've accidentally burnt the house down while dreaming of her. _

_It was different, kissing Lois at her age. She was not quite as bold, but it was just as sweet. He missed his wife though. He loved Lois, even at twenty when she couldn't stand him and was rough around the edges, but it was far from being the same. It was true what Doctor Fate had said about Lois being the one he needed. He needed her more than air and he was starting to think of drastic measures to switch the two Lois's again. _

_He called her and left a voice mail saying that he found a story downtown, nothing big, but he would bring dinner home later. He was really trying to find evidence that Lex had organized that attack. What Lois had said did make sense and he knew Lex was capable of doing something like that. _

_Where could he start though? It was at times like this when it would've been nice to have his Lois back. She would find that trail like a dog sniffing out a T-bone. _

_He decided to start with phone records. He would use his X-ray vision to see who Lex talked to that day and start with anyone unusual. Then he would have to go home and face Lois. He wondered whether she would actually tell him the truth about them or not._

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0_

_Lois sat at her desk typing furiously. She was angry with Lex and angry with herself, which powered her to work faster. She was in love with a superhero and had a son with a decent, kind man, who worked his ass off for the two of them. Her feelings shouldn't have ruled over her to the point where she was a two-timing skank. She needed to tell Clark how she felt. It wouldn't be a big deal now, because this morning he said it was okay that they were just friends. But she couldn't have formed a relationship with a man from meeting him three times. Clark would know that it began earlier and her future self would be screwed. _

_"__You doing alright, Smallville junior?" She peaked over her shoulder after hearing nothing but her own typing for the last ten minutes. The kid could've gotten into a world of trouble since then. But he was simply playing on the floor and not paying any attention to her. She turned back to her work and accidentally knocked her tape recorder off her desk. It skidded and landed somewhere underneath the couch. _

_"__Son of a…" She got on her hands and knees to fish it out, but it was too far for her to reach. _

_"__Mama! I can help!" Jase said, getting off the floor and walking towards her._

_"__No, sweetie. The couch is too heavy, I have to get…" It was above her head. Completely above it. And there was her three year old, lifting the 300 pound piece of furniture, waiting patiently for her to get what she needed. "Oh my God." _


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys, here's chapter 14 :) Thank you for reviewing and reading, and as always, let me know what you think :)**

Lex was sitting in his office in Metropolis, dealing with a company emergency. One of the warehouses where he kept research on the last meteor shower was located underneath a Luthor Corp plant in Louisiana, and unfortunately suffered from fire damage brought on by someone ripping the secret door off the hinges, stealing his computers, and setting the place on fire. Lex wished he could find some kind of evidence that linked the incident to Fine, because he was convinced, that the professor was the one behind it.

"Mr. Luthor," Elizabeth, one of his assistants, knocked tentatively. Lex looked up, annoyed. "A Mr. James is here to see you."

"Let him in." Lex said coldly. Barrett had been missing for nearly a month and Lex couldn't bring himself to be happy that he survived.

"Lex," Barrett nodded in greeting, then took a seat without being asked to sit.

"Where have you been all this time?" Lex asked, casually, as if he hadn't been waiting for him to return.

"In the hospital. For my back and this," He lifted his leg to show a boot on his foot. "And I was damn sure not going back to Smallville. Had to wait until you showed up in Metropolis."

"What happened to you?" Lex was suspicious. He had seen this man pull out someone's eye with his finger. Why would he be afraid of a little town in Kansas?

"I went to that chick's apartment to search it, then she came home for some reason. We fought a bit, and damn that girl is tough, then her boyfriend showed up and tossed me into the wall. A disk in my back slipped out of place. I barely made it out, hobbling to my car," He gave a short laugh.

"Her boyfriend?" Lex was intrigued. He had never seen a man interested in Lois before.

"Yeah. Tall guy, dark hair, shows up unexpectedly."

"Clark." Lex said, automatically. Of course it was Clark that showed up and ruined his plans. "How did you break your foot then? When he threw you?"

"Nah. I did that when I kicked her in the stomach." Barrett gave him a greasy smile. Lex stared, unmoving, the gears in his head turning in overdrive.

"Elizabeth," He said into his intercom. She walked in seconds later. "Find me Lois Lane's medical records and email them to me."

She nodded and walked back out the door.

"So I found the guy you were looking for," Barrett said. "Name's Griff. Works out near Suicide Slums. I told him you were coming tonight to meet with him. Here's the number."

"Thanks," Lex said, taking it from him. He was starting to have second thoughts about meeting this man to ruin Jonathan Kent's reputation. What would Lana think if she ever found out?

"No problem, Lex. I'll see you around." He stood without waiting for Lex to reply and walked out of the door. Thirty minutes later his inbox pinged with a new message. He read through Lois's medical file, which was pretty long considering how many times she had been hurt, and stopped when he got to the late entry. She was brought in my a Mr. Kent, that Lex assumed was Clark, for a concussion and some bruising. And she was pregnant. Five to six weeks at the time she was brought in. Could Clark be the father? He didn't think it was probable, but he might be able to convince Lana that nine weeks ago Lois and Clark shared a magical moment.

Lex smiled and gathered his coat, confident about meeting with Griff now. He was carrying some very useful information, that he needed to hold on to until the time was right.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lois backed up and took a long look at the fruit of her labor. The Kent Christmas tree was near perfect, the only thing that was missing was the tree topper. Lois was trying her best to enjoy the holiday season, but she couldn't convince herself that she was happy.

She imagined what it would be like, back home with Clark and Jase. Jase would totter to the tree at five in the morning, ecstatic about what Santa had brought him. Clark would clear the plate of cookies and milk they had shared while laying those presents out perfectly. He would pretend not to know about the baby yet so she could tell him in a cute way, like giving him a teeny tiny stocking. Was it Christmas in her time? She didn't think so. It had been April when she left. But she didn't have a lot of solid knowledge about time travel, so what did she know?

"Lois," Martha came up behind her and placed a loving hand on her shoulder. She lowered her voice and said, "Are you sure you're going to be alright? With Lana coming and everything?"

"Don't fuss over me," She said, jokingly. She put her arm around her mother-in-law and squeezed. "It's Christmas Eve and we have a bunch of people coming over. We should be getting ready."

Martha laughed. "I suppose so. Could you run upstairs and ask Clark to hurry along?"

"Sure thing." Lois smiled.

When she got to Clark's room she walked in on him buttoning up a flannel shirt. "Really, Farmer John? It's Christmas. Couldn't you hang up the flannel for one day?"

"This is a nice shirt." Clark said, defensively. Lois felt a stab of nostalgia hit her. That was the same thing he had said to her on his first say at the Daily Planet.

"You missed a spot." She said after studying him. He looked down at himself, confused. She calmly walked over and handed him a mirror. He had missed a spot "shaving" He used the mirror to reflect his heat vision to his face, burning the hair off.

"How did you know that I needed a mirror?"

"You've walked into work plenty of times not looking presentable." She jokingly punched him in the arm. Clark smiled brightly at her.

"You miss them don't you?" He said, suddenly.

"Who?"

"Your family. I can see it in your eyes, that you're thinking about them."

"Of course I do." She sat down on his bed and he joined her. "Sometimes I hate that you know me like that."

"I know the feeling," He said, giving her a nudge with his arm. "Why won't you let me help you get back to them Lois? I know at first I didn't want to go to the fortress, but that was a mistake and it was wrong for me to be so selfish about it."

"I appreciate it Smallville, but there are things about the future that you can't know about yet. Not necessarily bad," She said quickly, before he could ask. "But things that might come out if you're with me and you need to make the right choices on your own, not just because I tell you about them."

"Lois…Your happiness means a lot to me. I want to help you get back to your husband and Jase. Besides, I'm sure my future self is missing you too."

She laughed. "You really are amazing, Smallville."

"Clark?" Lana called from down stairs. Clark jumped off the bed.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"Handsome as ever." Lois replied, sadly.

"Thanks, Lois." Then he was gone. Lois ran a hand through her hair, trying to find the courage to witness what she know was going to be a puppy love fest.

She walked down the stairs to hear, "She's perfect," followed by "Yes, she is." And kissing. She ducked into the kitchen where Jonathan and Martha were sharing a romantic moment. She reached for one of Martha's homemade Christmas cookies and popped one into her mouth.

"Watch out Lois! They're really hot!" Jonathan shouted quickly. Lois turned her head in surprise, chewing a mouthful of cookie. She didn't understand what he meant. The cookie was warm, and it tasted fine, but the way Jonathan was looking at her made her think they were made of lava or something. She looked over and realized Martha had just pulled them out of the oven and they were still 400 degrees. Oops.

"Hey mom, dad, I have to go help Chloe with something. I'll be right back." Clark said, as he was walking out the door. Lana walked into the kitchen, watching him go with a sad look on her face. Lois followed her out of the kitchen and sat on the couch. Lana sat beside her and Lois wished that she had slowed down a little bit before and had left herself something to do to distract her before the party.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to Clark being gone all the time." Lana said with a sigh.

"Well you know Clark. Always has to be a hero." Lois replied back awkwardly.

"I wish I could find a way to keep him grounded. I'd just like to have him to myself for a little while."

"Why? He wouldn't be Clark if he wasn't doing his best to help people." Lois said, defensively. Did this girl really even know him at all.

"Lois, it's not his job to go off and save the world. He has other responsibilities too." Lana said, crossing her arms over her chest. She couldn't understand why Lois wasn't agreeing with her on this. She usually did.

"Like bale hay and mend fences? He is so much better than that and you have to know that he's meant for greater things."

"What's wrong with being a framer and staying home?" Lana hadn't imagined Clark doing anything else and the thought that he might run off scared her.

"Nothing." Lois said, shortly. No wonder Clark took so long to become Superman with Lana convincing him that he didn't need to better himself. Lois wondered if Lana really understood him at all.

"You said yourself Lois, that it would be crazy for Clark to go off into the big city and do something like reporting." Lana persisted.

"You never know. Once he grows up and becomes a man, he could see things a lot differently."

"Lois," Lana laughed. "Clark is a man."

"You'll never believe what just happened!" Chloe burst through the door. "I just got a tip at the Planet that Lex Luthor has been shot!"

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

As Lois sped to the hospital, she had never wanted a story so badly. If only she had been in her time, this would've been a great article to write. Clark would be by her side, amused and slightly disappointed in her excitement that Lex had been wounded. Lois had thought up an excuse on the spot to leave the house, which no one had thought to be suspicious. She knew for a fact that he was going to survive, so she didn't feel the least bit bad about snooping on him while he was down.

It was going to be tricky this time,to sneak past security without a uniform to search Lex's personal items, but it had to be done. Trauma victims are usually stripped of their belongings on the way to the ER and it's all put in a bag to be dealt with later. Lois had gotten more details about Lex's attack from Chloe before she left and knew that from where he was shot, they would be too busy saving his life to worry about his pants.

Lois was scanning the hallway, looking out for staff she would have to get past, when she noticed something odd. Creepily standing near the doors to the ER, was a very skinny, scruffy young boy who was in the middle of an intense discussion with Lionel Luthor. She thought she could almost recall his face, but brushed it off. She had met thousands of people in her line of work. He could just have one of those faces. She waited until a couple of doctors snatched Lionel away, probably to talk about Lex's condition, to go up to the boy.

"Hey," She said, in her nicest voice. The boy looked up at her, wide eyed and tried to run away from her. She placed at hand on his shoulder, then said, "Wait!"

That was the last thing she could fully remember.

She woke up, freezing, and laying in the middle of the fortress. What had happened? She got up slowly and shook the snow off of her. "Hello? Clark? Jor-el?"

There was nothing but silence. She couldn't believe that Jor-el would say nothing about a human invading the last piece of their home planet, but she was much too cold to process it. She walked to the cave entrance and successfully used it to transport back to the Kawatche caves. It was almost pitch black and looked as if not one had walked through it in a very long time.

"Lois." A voice stopped her in her tracks. It wasn't possible. Lois couldn't have actually heard it. She turned very slowly.

"Mom?"

"It's me baby." He mother said warmly, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Am I dead?" She asked, hopelessly.

"Yes and no." She gave Lois a sympathetic look. "Physically, you're very much alive, but you've been dead to this world a long time."

"What does that even mean?" Lois groaned.

"You've made some wrong choices, sweetheart. I'm here to guide you, so that you can make the right ones."

"Great, so I'm in some kind of Christmas-Carol Life Time special?" Lois threw her hands in the air. Why did it always have to be her?

Her mother laughed and Lois stared at her, astonished. It had been a very, very long time since she had heard her mother's laugh. "Go home to the Kent Farm. There are some people who will be very happy to see you."

Her mother disappeared and Lois stood there, hope rising in her chest. She prayed that when she got to the Kent Farm that Clark and Jase would be waiting for her, but knew that it was probably a fantasy. How could she make the wrong choices and still have her family?

She hitched a ride to the farm from a nice old man, who felt bad that she was walking around alone on Christmas Eve. She could see from the driveway that nothing had really changed. The house was decorated the same and the cars were all in the driveway. She knocked hesitantly on the door.

Clark, _her_ Clark, opened the door, wonder all over his face. He crushed her with a hug. "Lois!"

"Oh, thank God!" She said, relaxing in his arms.

"I thought I would never see you again!" He pulled away from her, looking her up and down.

"I know, I felt the same way." She was leaning up to kiss him when she noticed someone walking to the door. It was Lana, hugely pregnant and glowing with happiness. A shocked expression filled her features.

"Lois! Oh my god! How…? We thought you were dead!" Lana pulled her in for a hug, which was awkward considering Lois had to dodge her stomach.

"Me? Dead? I've only been gone two hours!" Lois backed away from them. She felt as though she were caught in a nightmare.

"Lois," Clark said in a concerned tone. He grabbed her arm and steered her to the couch. "I think you should sit down for this."

A little girl sprinted into the room. Her dark curls bounced in the light when she ran into Clark's lap.

"Hello, angel." Clark said, with affection. The girl peaked over to look curiously at Lois. She had her mother's green eyes and her nose, but Clark's facial structure. She was beautiful.

"Laura, this is my friend, Lois. Can you say hello?" Clark said to her. She waved slightly then buried her head into his shoulder. Tears threatened to leak out of Lois's eyes. The little girl wiggled until Clark let her go.

"I better go put her to bed." Lana said rubbing her belly. She leaned down a kissed Clark gently on the lips before exiting the room.

"Lana's your wife?" Lois asked, miserably.

"She is. My daughter is almost five and we're expecting a boy soon. We're going to name him Jonathan, after my father." Clark said with a huge smile. It faded as he turned back to her. "What happened to you Lois? I searched for you for weeks, but it was like you disappeared off the face of the Earth."

"I have no idea! I just woke up in the fortress and came straight here."

Clark hung his head in shame. "I should've never let you go on your own."

"What do you mean? Go where?"

"You told us you found a way to go home and begged me not to follow you. You left for the caves and then never came back. I should have made sure you were safe." He looked at her with haunted eyes.

"How long ago?" Lois trailed off.

"Six years. We all thought you were dead or were trapped in another time. It was hard, Lois, not ever knowing what happened to you. Especially for Chloe." Clark's voice dropped lower when he said her name.

"Where is she? What happened to her?" Lois asked, panicking.

"With you missing, Chloe just kind of lost herself in her work. She became one excellent reporter though."

"Why the _hell _are you using past tense when referring to my cousin?"

"Chloe got in way over her head. I tried to stop her, I promise you, but there was a hostile situation and Chloe got caught in the middle of it…" The way he said it made it clear that Chloe didn't survive.

"Why didn't you save her?" Lois screamed at him, horrified.

Clark looked from side to side, as if to make sure no one was listening. "Lois you have to be quiet about that. I never told Lana who I am, and I'm not trying to have her find out now."

"Never told? How? You have a kid with her!" Lois said, not bothering to keep her voice down.

"Lois…I gave up my powers to be with her, so that she and I could have a normal, happy life together."

"How could you do that, Clark? How could you abandon the world that needed you for some girl?" Lois cried. Tears were actually running down her face.

"That's my wife you're talking about, Lois." He reminded her, sternly. "She convinced me that I didn't need to sacrifice my own happiness to embrace some destiny that was planned for me by a man I have never even met."

"So you decided to sacrifice the world instead? Being some hick farmer with debt up to your eyeballs and having no purpose in life other than keeping your wife and kids happy, is enough for you? Really? And I bet you even joined the bowling league! You are _not_ the man I thought you were."

"It's out of my hands, Lois." He said, feeling rather small from the way she was talking to him. She stood up and rushed outside, slamming the door behind her. As she stormed away from the house, her mother appeared and walked along-side her.

"I don't believe this." She told Ella.

"Why, Lois? Doctor Fate told you a very long time ago that you would be the one Clark needed. His genes and his parents gave him the tools to become a superhero, but you're the one that has to push him. You left and put yourself in unnecessary danger. Not to protect him, but because you feared his rejection."

"That's not why! People can't know their own futures!" Lois protested angrily. Her mother raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"When you left, he had no one to stand beside him and see through his lies or force him to face his self-loathing nature. He was easily persuaded by the love he had for a woman that could give him a normal, easily life without all the hardships that come with being a leader. But you and I both know that's not who he's supposed to be. You need to be there for him Lois, to show him the way and make him step up. You have to challenge him and make him see that he's your equal. One that must be treated with care and respect. Trust him, love him, and don't try to do this alone, it's the only way this scenario doesn't become reality. Save Clark, Lois. Save Clark and you save the world."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lois woke up being shaken awake but none other than Lionel Luthor. He looked stressed and overly jumpy. She sat up from her hospital gurney.

"How did I get here?" All that was running through her mind was her dream. It had really left an impact on her.

"You ran into a young man and seemed to have fainted. I had the nurses bring you in here to rest." He sat up and started walking through the door.

"Did he do that to me?" Lois said, putting some pieces together. Her brain always worked faster when she was scared. That's how she managed to say alive.

"Do what?" Lionel said, trying not to give anything away.

She narrowed her eyes at him. Something was not matching up right. A dream that specific and intense couldn't have just hit her while she "fainted." It had meaning and a purpose.

Suddenly she understood why she thought she recognized the boy. He was meteor infected and had the power to delve into someone's mind and force them to solve the most urgent problems weighting on them. He was going to work as a drug counselor in ten years, being so successful that he would be interviewed by Clark.

"What did you want him to see, Lionel? Couldn't you have just talked to your son if you were worried?"

"I have no idea what you mean." He said.

"It shows one outcome, Lionel. One. He still has the free will to choose another way." She wanted to make him see how dangerous it was to play God with someone's life, but she could see it going no where.

"How…?" Lionel studied her. He straightened up and walked to the door. "If you will excuse me, my son is going through a dangerous surgery right now. Merry Christmas, Miss Lane."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

When Lois returned to the farm it had started snowing. She took her place, leaning against the wall of the house on the porch. She painfully watched Clark and Lana cling to each other. She couldn't allow them to happen. She had to fight for him.

"Not easy to watch is it?" Chloe asked. She had come up beside Lois without her noticing.

"No, it really isn't." Lois wrapped an arm around her. "I never realized how strong you are, Chloe. You had to stand back and watch their ups and downs for years. One night of it and I'm barely containing my vomit."

"It's worse for you." Chloe said, surprising Lois. "I never actually had him. To watch him in someone else's arms after getting married and having a child? I can't imagine what you must be going through."

"He needs me Chloe. He can't see it yet, but he does."

"I can see it." Chloe said, solemnly. "You never fell for his charms the way the rest of us did. You've always been able to look beyond the face and abs to see the truth."

"I need his help too. Something made me realize I would be making a horrible mistake if I tried to do this all on my own. I just need Clark to be ready to accept the truth if it comes out before I can tell him anything."

"So you need to keep a secret until you can trust him? That's ironic." Chloe smiled.

"I know how he struggled to let his guard down and tell me. I waited years for him to be completely honest with me. The only way I'll be able to get back to my real life is if I return the favor. I have to get over my fears and be as strong as the Man of Steel."


	15. Chapter 15

**Volia! The answer to the big cliff-hanger. Thank you for reading a reviewing and please let me know what you think! :)**

_Lois stared at her son, backing away slowly, still crouching on the floor. He watched her, like a mouse to a cat. Lois thought it should be the other way around. Jase gently set the couch down after Lois hadn't retrieved her tape recorder. _

_"__Mommy?" He asked, titling his head to the left. _

_"__Just…stay there, okay?" _

_She backed into the kitchen, not taking her eyes off him. _

Crap, crap, crap. _She thought._ _What the hell was that? So, obviously her kid had superpowers. And that freaked her slam out. But more than that she was scared. Jase could lift that 300 pound couch like it was nothing. What could he do to her in the throws of a full-out tempter tantrum? _

_He tottered uncertainly into the kitchen after his mother. She flinched. _

_"__Mama? What wrong?" He said, tearfully. She didn't answer, but retreated even farther away. His lip started to tremble and he sobbed at his mother's rejection. As she watched him, her heart broke. Who was she kidding? She practically ran to him and picked him up off the floor, wrapping her arms around him warmly. He was her son and she loved him, no matter what kind of freak he was. Maybe one day he could even use that strength for good. Kind of like…_

_Her train of thought halted abruptly, as if they had hit a solid brick wall. She paced the living room over and over, with Jase still sniffling in her arms. He had to have gotten his abilities from somewhere. As far as she knew there hadn't been any extra meteor showers in the last three years, so she didn't think it was likely that he had gotten them the usual way. Therefore, he must had inherited them from his father; they certainly didn't come from her. _

_She turned that information over in her mind, not drawing any logical conclusions. He could be Superman's son. It was definitely in the realm of possibilities, but he looked too much like Clark. If she hadn't ever been to a biology class, she might have considered that both of them were related to Jase. But even with alien genes, she didn't actually think that could happen. _

_An internal war raged inside her. She needed to call Clark and get answers, but what if he didn't know about Jase? It could expose her infidelity if Jase wasn't his son or Clark, not used to the abnormal, could ship him off to some lab to be tested on. That was a horrifying thought. Really, it all came down to, did she trust her husband? He was a law abiding man, all "yes-ma, yes-pa," but he had never let her down before. Even with the strange situation she found herself in, he had done his best to protect her and help her adjust. And if her future self did cheat on him, it's not like it was her fault, right? _

_She put Jase down beside his toys and squared her shoulders. Then, after making a silent prayer, she dialed Clark's number. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0_

_Clark was flying over Metropolis, trying to guess what Lois would like the best for dinner when his phone started to ring. Chloe had given him two small, metal transmitters that fit in the belt of his suit which told him when he had an incoming call from either his cell phone or Watchtower. It came in handy, considering he didn't have pockets. He flew quickly down to the alley where he kept his clothes and changed, still having enough time to answer the phone for Lois. _

_"__Hello?" _

_"__Clark…I think you should get home." She sounded breathless and slightly scared. _

_"__Why? Is everything alright?" He had already started towards the apartment. She didn't answer. "Lois?"_

_"__Yep…yeah…I mean, yes. Yes, it is." She rambled. _

_"__What is it?" He said, urgently. _

_"__It's not really something I can talk about over the phone."_

_He felt sick and his heart thudded hard in his chest. The last time she had said something like that over the phone, someone had been holding a gun to her head. "Lois, are you hurt?" _

_"__No, I'm fine." She replied, not exactly sounding that way._

_"__Just tell me what happened." He said, speeding ever closer to the apartment._

_"__I said I would when you got home, Smallville!" She shouted, agitated. _

_"__Lois!" He persisted. _

_She paused a few seconds, and very slowly said, "Your son has been lifting the furniture." _

_Then she hung up the phone. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0_

_Lois was watching Jase play with his toys when she heard the front door open and close. She was almost afraid to turn around. _

_"__Daddy!" Jase squealed, running over to him, and jumping into his arms. _

_"__Hey bud," Clark said, smiling down at him. Lois could see the pain behind it, though. He walked around for ten minutes, taking off his coat and doing everything he could to avoid Lois's gaze. He kept Jase in one arm the whole time and Lois guessed he was using Jase as a shield against her. Finally he said, "Go play by the couch, son. Mommy and I need to talk."_

_He pulled Lois into the kitchen, searching her face and trying to figure out her emotions. "Lois, I know you've had a few traumatic experiences lately. That kind of stress can make your mind play tricks on you. I think maybe we should have a doctor look at-"_

_"__Are you seriously implying that I made it up?" She screeched. _

_"__Jase is a toddler." He said, slowly. "He can't lift furniture. It's impossible." _

_"__I know what I saw, Clark!" _

_"__Think you saw." He corrected. _

_"__Look, Smallville, I know that you've never experienced anything like that, but come on! You grew up in Smallville! Strange things happen all the time!" _

_"__Because people were infected with meteor rocks." He said, calmly, trying not to indulge in her anger. "And obviously, he's not one of them." _

_"__So you've never, _ever,_ seen him do anything out of the ordinary?" _

_"__No. Absolutely not." _

_She paled and turned away from him before trying to walk out of the room. He stepped in her way, not letting her pass. "Where are you going?" _

_"__I thought you knew." She said, more to herself than to him. "I thought you could help. I'm taking Jase out of here."_

_"__No, you're not." He said, more annoyed than upset. _

_She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, I am. He's my son." _

_"__He's my son too, Lois." She raised an eyebrow. "What? You think he's not?" _

_She glanced over Clark's shoulder and into the living room at Jase, which caused her to doubt her own conclusions. "Well, if he can't do it, then there's no harm in asking him for an encore performance, is there?" _

_She shoved past him and into the living room with Jase. He looked up adoringly at her. "Baby, could you help mommy-"_

_Jase had scrambled to his feet to do what she asked, but Clark had grabbed her by the arm and started steering her away from him. "Stop, Lois. Please." _

_Staring up at him with a familiar touch on her arm, she was flooded with memories. She distinctly remembered the feel of his large hand wrapped around her while he kissed her. Thinking back to it now, Superman's face was blurry, as if she had needed strong, thick glasses and had never actually seen his face clearly. Now she could almost see the faint outline of his jaw. Clark always disappeared so suddenly. His parents were so overprotective of him. He was adopted and as far as she knew, had never searched for his birth parents. He wore those ridiculous glasses at the Planet and changed his personality there. He always wanted to get in the middle of things to help people. Always had to be the hero. Jase, the spitting image of him, just lifted that heavy couch straight above his head. _

_As much as Lois fought it, as much as she didn't want to connect the dots, it all made sense. Clark and Superman were the same person. _

_"__It's you." She said, shocked. Clark saw the realization in her eyes and winced. Why hadn't he been more careful? _

_"__You…you…you JACKASS!" She roared. "You lied to me! Why did you lie to me?" _

_"__Lois, I don't know what you-"_

_"__Oh yes you do know what I mean, don't you even start that crap with me!" _

_He sighed and his shoulders fell. He couldn't think of any way out of this. Besides, it would be a relief to tell her, to have her by his side again. "Lois, I didn't have a choice. You weren't supposed to know for years!"_

_"__Why didn't I see your face before? You made me think it was someone else."_

_"__I couldn't risk you finding out. You were never supposed to know who I was. I was going to take you to my fortress and send you home before it ever got this far." _

_"__Oh and I suppose kissing me was part of the plan too!" She was shaking so much she actually considered hitting him. But more than likely, that would hurt her a lot more than it would hurt him. How could she have ever thought, even for a second, that she was in love with Clark? He tricked her, that son of a bitch! _

_"__Well…" He trailed off, embarrassed. He hadn't ever expected her to catch him._

_" __How many times did you save me, and I didn't even know? How did I not see it before? I mean, I lived with you for God's sake!" She paced back and forth, throwing her hands into the air out of frustration. _

_"__Could you calm down please?" This was the reaction he had been worried about everyday. She was furious with him. Next she would probably call him a freak and actually try to take his son from him. _

_"__When did you tell me, huh? Before we started dating? Before we got married? Before I had a freaking kid with you?" She shouted and turned to face him dead-on, glaring a hole in his head. _

_"__Before we got married." He said. "I wanted to know that you wanted me as I was, without knowing what I can do." _

_"__Weren't you the least bit concerned about lying to me all those years? I could've left you the second I found out. That's what I would do now." _

_"__I worried about that every single day, Lois. I still worry. And right now, the way you're looking at me, I know I was right." He couldn't take the hatred building up in her, the way she so obviously thought he had betrayed her. Her face softened and he could hear her heart rate begin to slow down. _

_"__Why didn't you trust me? I told you everything the past few weeks. I literally put my life in your hands. Why didn't you just tell me that night on the roof, or yesterday in our office? I'm supposed to be your wife. You're supposed to know me well enough to know I would never treat you differently just because of where you come from." The hurt in her voice was undeniable. She had to reign it in, or Clark might think she was too vulnerable, or see that her feelings towards a certain part of him were genuine. She was still angry, horribly angry, but more than that she was upset that he hadn't let her be a true part of his life. At least not at her age. _

_"__This is a weird situation for me too. I don't know how to deal with it any more than you do. All I know is that terrible things can happen when you're messing with time-travel." He watched he start to get angry again, not having received the answer she was looking for. "I do trust you, Lois. I trust that you can handle whatever life throws at you. I trust you to keep my secret to the grave. I trust you to raise our son the right way, even though you've never had experience in being a mother before you came here. I trust you to know parts of me that I don't even know how to be in control of. I trust you to always keep me honest and on my toes. And I trust that you'll forgive me in time and that you'll pretend like everything is normal when I send you home." _

_She took a few seconds to process what he said and decided she was pleased with his answer. "So, I guess I should stop calling you Smallville." _

_"__You say that every time you find out." He chuckled. _

_"__Every time…? How many times have I…?" _

_"__Like four or five times. I don't know why I thought it would be any different this time." _

_"__You really thought I was going to like flash a crucifix at you or something?" She laughed and he shrugged in confirmation. "So what now?" _

_He swallowed. "I supposed now's a good a time as any to take you home." _

_"__Wow." She didn't know why that thought was so disappointing. Here, in Metropolis with Clark, she was somebody respected and highly thought of. Back in Smallville, she was a college drop-out working at a coffee shop with a car as her only back up housing plan. She and Clark weren't a team there, in fact they were on the verge of acting like bickering siblings all the time. Plus, she would have to wait years to see Jase again, if her and Clark ended up together in the first place. "How do we do that?" _

_He disappeared right before her eyes. She looked around wildly for him, only to have him appear in front of her again. He pulled a thick golden ring out of his pocket that had an L and star crest on the front. "With this. Hold on to me" _

_She did as he asked, but nothing happened. He stared blankly at it, obviously confused. "I don't understand. It's not working." _

_"__What was supposed to happen?" _

_"__The ring allows me to travel back and forth in time. When you first came here, it's how I thought you travelled. I'm going to try something, take a few steps back." He slid the ring onto his finger and he vanished a second time. This time he was gone a solid five minutes before he returned. _

_"__So, where did you go?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest. She was still having a hard time believing in a time-traveling ring, but then again, she married an alien. Maybe all things were possible. _

_"__Our honeymoon." He said, sheepishly. Lois rolled her eyes at him, starting to get angry again. _

_"__Oh, I hope you enjoyed yourself." She said, sarcastically. "So it won't work with both of us? Why don't you let me try?" _

_"__I don't think that's a good idea. You could get stranded in the wrong time." He rubbed his chin, thinking. Finally he said, "It's late. We should put Jase to bed." _

_Luckily for them, Jase had passed out on the floor, laying on top of his scattered action-figures. Lois signaled to him that she would carry him to bed and he gave her a silent "okay" nod. She picked him up gingerly, and placed her hand on the back of his head. She inhaled deeply and caught the scent of his baby shampoo. Tears sprang up in her eyes, unexpectedly. All she had wanted was to get back to her own time, and get away from a life where she was married to Farmer John and from the responsibility of being the mother to some sticky, crying kid. Now, as she put him into his rocket shaped bed (she finally caught on to that inside-joke), she felt like she was saying goodbye to her ability to breathe. _

_"__I love you," She whispered to him. "And I will miss you every second of every day until I get back to you." _

_She wiped the tears from her eyes and noticed for the first time that Old Blue was in the window seal. It was her mother's crystal bird. She hadn't seen it since her mother died. She internally thanked her mother for giving her a sign of hope, that everything was going to be okay. She also asked her to watch over her son until she found her way home again. _

_She felt Clark's presence approaching from behind her. He tentatively placed an arm around her and he stared down at Jase too. She peaked up at him and almost gasped out loud. Knowing he was Superman and seeing him in the suite were two totally different things. Her heart leapt and the sight of him in it. He was beautiful and for a second, the feelings she had before hit her and she thought she loved him. She pushed it deep down inside her and promised herself that she wasn't going to think like that again. Where she was going, it would be a very bad idea to have a thing for Clark Kent. _

_She wiggled from under his arm and crept silently from the room. Clark shut the door behind him. _

_"__So, are you going to give me that ring now?" She said, a bit more harshly than she had intended. He raised an eyebrow at her. He thought they were past this. _

_"__No. I'm going to take you to someone who can help more than I can." _

_"__And who the hell is that?" Looking at him in his superhero getup, she couldn't imagine anyone being able to help more than he could. _

_"__Remember that fortress I was telling you about? The last piece of my home-planet?" He clarified. She nodded. "It's going to sound strange-"_

_"__Stranger than 'last piece of my home-planet'?" She interrupted. He shot her an irritated glare before continuing. _

_"__My father is there. A technology with all of his memories and thought process," He said, before she could stop him again. "I'll take you there and he can tell me why the Legion Ring isn't working and how you came here in the first place. Maybe he even has the power to send you back." _

_She grimaced. She never liked meeting the parents. "Okay, I'm with you so far. How do we get there?" _

_He gave her a wicked grin. "I'm glad you asked."_

_Suddenly he swooped her up and in to his arms, bridal style. He took off into the air, flying high up into the night sky. She cried out and clutched on to him with all her strength. He laughed at her, causing a storm of fists to hit him in the face. He put on his serious face, pretending that he didn't find her hilarious anymore. He decided to take the scenic root for her, since this was her first time flying with him. He wanted her to remember it fondly during the years they wouldn't be together. _

_After a few more minutes she relaxed and smiled a bit. The Grand Canyon was so breathtaking from so high up. Lois placed at Clark and found him watching her instead of the landscape. She had to fight those feelings back down again. She sighed. Maybe there were a few perks to marrying a superhero. _


	16. Chapter 16 Part One

**Hello lovely people. I'm sorry this chapter is so late, I've been super busy and this was a monster of a chapter to tackle. Thank you to readers and reviewers! :) As always, let me know what you think :)**

**This chapter was too long for one document, so it has been slip into two parts. This is Part One**

Lois nearly growled in frustration as she again attempted to button her jeans. She had a slight bump, one that came much earlier than it had with Jase. Now she was struggling with her pants and it was a losing battle. Finally managing to dress herself, she went downstairs, praying she would find a way home before having to buy all new maternity clothes.

"Good morning," Martha practically sang. She was baking muffins and had gone all out for breakfast. Clark and Jonathan were happily shoveling food into their mouths, and barely had time to look up at Lois and nod in greeting.

"What's the occasion?" Lois asked as she walked half way to the coffee pot before stopping herself. She turned to find her place in between the boys and as she passed Clark she stopped. She playfully traced the line of his farmer's tan with her finger. He shivered involuntarily and clasped his hand around the spot where she just touched. She was still laughing as she took her seat, but stopped as she made eye contact with him. A slow pink blossomed under his skin, brightening his face. There was a secret fire coming from him, starting from his eyes and spreading. To anyone else, he could've looked embarrassed, but Lois, who had shared his bed for seven years, could see the difference. He was turned on.

"Jonathan's campaign manager is coming to spruce up the house. 'Stage it' I think he said." Martha answered the question Lois had forgotten she needed an answer to.

"I think the whole thing is a bit too much, but what do I know?" Jonathan said, shrugging. "Jack swears this guy won him all five elections."

Lois was only partially paying attention, her mind swirling with possibility. Clark was fully engrossed in his breakfast, not daring to look at her again.

"You don't need him." She said, finally. "Normal people don't have big fancy managers who stage parts of their lives. That's who you are, Mr. Kent. A normal, hard working guy. And that's who people will want to vote for."

Jonathan rubbed his chin, considering what she said. "You're probably right, but he's already coming down here. Might as well listen to what he has to say. And you live here, sweetheart. It's Jonathan."

She smiled at him. They had bonded the first time she lived through this, but they had never gotten this close. She wondered how everything would play out. She didn't want to live through Jonathan dying again. She'd tried leaving town, she'd tried going to Jor-el, and she knew how things would turn out without Clark's help. She was running out of options. The only way left was to tell Clark the truth, but he was so caught up in the life he had imagined for himself with Lana, that it would be nearly impossible for it to turn out all right.

Martha sat with them, ready to have a rare family breakfast, where no one was running off. She sank into her seat, looking as if she had just released the weight of the world.

"It's so good to be home." She said, with a sad smile.

"Is something wrong at the Talon?" Clark asked. It was the first thing he had said all day. Lois was struck with an overwhelming sense of longing. She missed having actual conversations with Clark, ones that didn't revolve around the immediate problems at hand.

"I've been swamped. Ever since Lex used the place for a publicity stunt, groupies have been hanging around trying to get another look at him. Plus, the books are a mess. Lana had no idea what she was doing!"

"She was only fifteen when she took it over by herself." Clark said, defensively. Martha looked a tad bit guilty and Lois rolled her eyes. She reached for her orange juice to avoid snorting at him, but missed the glass and knocked it over, sending a sticky mess down the table. She shot up and leaned far over the table to set it straight, but by the time her hand reached it, Clark had already cleaned up the entire spill. Her shirt had ridden up and she quickly pulled it down before sitting. It hadn't been enough to stop Martha from noticing the newest stage of her pregnancy.

"Lois!" She said, with a hint of pride. "You're showing!"

"Yeah, a little." She said, placing a hand there, slightly embarrassed. She hated the early months when it was hard to tell whether she was carrying a real baby or a food baby. Clark met her eyes, and also gave her an encouraging smile.

"How far along are you exactly?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm, uh, not 100% sure actually."

"I'm sure your doctor could tell you. You have been to one right?" Martha and Lois gave each other cautious looks across the table. Clark caught the exchange, but didn't understand what it was for.

"I still need to find one," She admitted. "It's not like I can go to mine."

Jonathan and Clark seemed to take that as an acceptable answer, not asking her anymore questions. But Lois couldn't stop thinking about contradicting herself. Maybe she could go to her own doctor. If only she could track down Emil. Of course, he didn't know any of the Justice League yet, and had probably never seen an abnormal case before. She wouldn't be able to trust him, not completely. It was worth a shot though.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Clark tried desperately to busy himself. Not that his day wasn't already full, he was going to have to go around today putting up fliers, shaking hands, and praising his father, before going on a much needed date with Lana.

It wasn't enough though. Thoughts were piling up in his mind, nearly crushing him. Logic was telling him that Lois's touch was just that; a touch. His heart on the other hand, was telling him that it was more than that. He had enjoyed it.

He tried to dismiss it. He and Lana were finally coming to a place where they could find common ground. Maybe share their lives together, even if they could never be together physically; at least not the way it was now. She was always trying to get him alone, convince him to stay the night. But he could never give her what she wanted. They could never have a normal relationship because of him. He couldn't risk giving in to her and losing control in the heat of the moment. He could seriously hurt her, even kill her and he would never be able to live with himself.

But Lois's hand on his skin had sent something through him. Something powerful and forceful and passionate. Just like her. Had he been younger, or still a virgin, he would've burnt the house down. He thought he had experienced the feeling before with Lana, but she had possessed his mind. It was his body this time that was affected. He wanted Lois. Badly.

That fact weighed guiltily on him. He was in love with Lana. He loved her more than his home, than air, than the sun. They had their problems, but nothing could change how he felt about her. It had been the same since he first saw her.

Ever since he met Lois, she had been on his case about everything. She never cut him any slack and it was obvious from day one what she felt about him. Perhaps if Lois had treated him the way she was now back then, he would've been blindsided by her the moment they met. He had always admired her bravery and her loyalty to Chloe. The past two-and-a-half months she had showed _him_ that loyalty. He gave her his trust and she came through his life like a great thunderstorm in the summer sunshine, twisting everything he thought and felt until he saw things her way. It was like he had never really seen her before. He had never payed enough attention. He was starting to wonder if deep down he had always thought that way about her, if all their bickering and sarcasm was a cover for feelings he didn't want to face.

But his feelings didn't matter. He belonged with Lana. He had known it for so long, that the thought that she might not be a part of him was inconceivable. Plus, Lois was happily married. Pregnant with someone else's child. From the beginning it had never been in the stars for them.

As he shoved posts through the field with his hands, he began to question his own motives. Chloe had asked right away about her own life in the future. Lois had filled in blanks for him without him trying to get those answers at all. He was afraid of what she would say. Of what he might become. Afraid that he would never live up to his parents expectations, that he would live his entire life in fear of people learning who and what he is, and that he would never be able to have a real relationship with anyone. He could ask Lois about his life. She wouldn't give him specifics, but maybe she could steer him in the right direction. Help him understand his body and his mind. If anyone on Earth could do that, it would be Lois.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

It was a long drive to Topeka, almost three times the distance from Smallville to Metropolis. Lois had found Emil in some fancy suburb outside of the city. He had stopped practicing medicine. He had taken a leave of absence for almost a year, but the hospital had never officially terminated him. He was too good of a doctor. Lois had learned a lot about Emil while she researched him. She read confidential things that even she wasn't curious enough to look further into.

She found the address and pulled into the driveway. His house was big and beautiful, with a white fence and everything. To the untrained eye, it would've looked well manicured and cared for, but Lois noticed the dead flowers in the small garden, smothered out by weeds. As she knocked on the door, she glanced in the window at the living room. It looked staged and dusty, as if no one had lived there for a very long time.

Lois waited and waited, but there was no answer. Emil's car was parked in the driveway though. She went around to the back and knocked again on the backdoor. When she still received no answer, she opened the door and went on inside.

"Dr. Hamilton?" She called. "Are you home?"

She searched the house and found him upstairs in his bedroom. He was sitting against the wall, staring at a row of pictures. There were close to twenty of them, all of the same pretty blonde woman with brown eyes and a million dollar smile. Some were of both of them on vacation or for their wedding day, some of them were just profiles of her. It was a shrine.

He didn't look up when she entered the room.

"Dr. Hamilton." She said softly, kneeling down at his level. He turned his head to look at her, but she got the feeling he wasn't actually seeing her. That, or he wasn't surprised at random people walking around his house like noisy ghosts. "My name is Lois Lane and I really need your help."

"I can't help you. I'm sorry."

"You don't even know what I'm asking." She reminded him.

"I'm a doctor. You want me to cure you. Everyone always expects that from us." He shrugged.

To his surprise, she put a hand on his forehead then checked his pupils. "You on something?"

"No," He snorted, shaking her off.

"Then what happened to you?" She demanded.

"What the hell do you mean, lady? You've never met me before today, you barge into my house, and then start accusing me of being on drugs?"

"I know that great doctors don't just disappear for years at a time with no reason!"

"There is a reason." He said coldly, trying to get up and away from her.

"That's your wife isn't it? Emily?" She motioned to the pictures behind them. He nodded. "When did you lose her?"

"Five months ago. Cancer. She was only twenty-six." He had started walking down the hallway with Lois following.

"I'm sorry. I lost someone to cancer too." She said. "Is that why you quit working?"

"You see those degrees in there?" He stopped outside of his office and pointed to the framed papers. "They don't mean anything. They're worthless."

She noticed empty liquor bottles on the floor. That explained why he wasn't his usual, caring self. And probably why he hadn't called the cops on her yet.

"That's not true. You could make a difference in so many people's lives. Including mine. That's not worthless."

"In the end it wouldn't matter. It wouldn't change my situation. Wouldn't change me."

"Is that why you became a doctor? To help yourself? Buy this big, glamorous house and drive a nice car? To justify your arrogance with a respectable title?" She spat at him. He flinched. "No, I don't think that's it. I researched you and I know the kind of physician you are. You're compassionate. You want to help people, to take away their pain. You want to make a difference."

"That used to be true." He sighed. "Without Emily, I don't even know who I am anymore."

"She wouldn't want what happened to her to change who you are. She married you because of who you are. She wouldn't want you to stop living."

"You don't know anything about my wife!" He shouted.

"No, I don't. But I also married a man who wanted to save the world. I know what I would want."

He was close to breaking down. "I can't be your doctor. Please, just leave."

She nodded and started down the hallway, but turned back at the last second. "Rosa Tate."

"What did you just say?" He whispered.

"You treated a woman named Rosa Tate. Infected with a foreign substance that caused her to age very rapidly to the point of death before being reborn, much like a phoenix. You never called the CDC, never spoke a word of it to anyone. I have a problem that I need you help with."

It was the right thing to say. He was interested and suddenly looked at her with empathy. "'Lois', you said?"

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Emil warmed up to her after that. It seemed like he wanted to help people with strange cases more than normal patients. Lois pressed him for information until he confessed that his wife had been affected by a piece of Kryptonite jewelry given to her by her father. It had also caused her illness later in life. Lois told him the basics except for the time-travel. He promised to call her once he had gotten his job straight and could give her an appointment time.

Feeling very pleased with herself, she returned to the farm before her sift at the Talon. She picked up the newspaper on the way in and started scanning it. It was one of her favorite past-times, reading other reporter's mistakes. One day she would make a great editor.

She stopped reading suddenly. It was the article about Jonathan, with misquotes given by his campaign manager. The one he hadn't even met with yet. Furious, Lois left it on the table. It pissed her off even more now than it had the first time. She was going to tell Jonathan, before the guy ever walked through the door and tried to change the house. On the other hand…it would be nice to see Clark in a suit again.

It was then that she looked out the widow and saw Clark angrily toss the rest of the stakes into the back of the truck and storm into the loft. She went in there after him. When she got there he was sitting against the couch, bouncing a ball against the wall.

"Lot on your mind?" She asked from where she was leaning on the stairs.

"Lois!" He jumped up so high, she swore he might've learned how to fly. He had a hard time looking at her. He was terrified that she might see through him and realize what he was just thinking about her.

She sat down on the couch and motioned for him to sit beside her. He stood frozen where he was. "What's wrong? I'm not going to bite you."

He swallowed hard. "I just have a lot on my mind, Lois."

"Shoot. I wanna hear." He hesitated. "I'm not going to judge you."

"I…I have a few questions for you." It was her turn to swallow hard. She nodded for him to continue. "In the future are there any…women in my life?"

She almost choked. Lois was not expecting that. "I honestly don't know what to say."

"I know you can't really tell me specifics. But, I just want to know if I can ever have a typical relationship."

"Typical how? Aren't you already in one?"

He turned away from her and gripped the rail. "I mean…physically."

"Clark, are you asking me for sex advice right now?" She squeaked. He didn't answer. She nearly laughed but restrained herself. "I never thought this day would come."

"If you can't say-"

"Yes." She interrupted. "You can, you know, get down and dirty."

He turned back to her with a look that said he thought she was full of crap. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Something flashed in her eyes and Clark was sure he was adding more meaning to it than was there. It looked like pure mischief.

"Me and Lana. Do we stay together?"

"I am not answering that," She said sharply. Clark saw the answer clear as day on her face. No, they weren't going to end up together. Sadness shot through him and he carefully hid it.

"Well I better go start putting up fliers and stuff." He said, trying to dismiss her.

"Not so fast." She nodded towards the window. "Your parents are home."

They walked up to the house together, but staying far apart. Lois could see Clark thinking and wondered if she had just screwed herself over. Maybe sex could, in fact, fix the hole in Clark and Lana's relationship. Maybe she had just ruined her own story.

Sosnick, the campaign manager, was already running around shouting orders at his subordinates like a crazed toddler to his weak-willed mother. He was charming the pants off Mr. Kent too. Lois stepped in front of the men carrying in a bookcase with fake law books carved into them. She put her hand up to stop them.

"You can go ahead and turn right back around." She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Lois? What are you doing?" Jonathan stepped out of the kitchen dressed in a nice suit and tie.

"Nipping this stupid idea in the bud."

"Who do you think you are?" Sosnick asked, glaring at her.

"I'm Lois Lane and you need to pack this crap up and get out of here."

"Excuse me?" He was clearly bewildered.

"Did you actually have a look around the place or talk to the Kents before you decided to remodel? Because I think you're trying too hard to replicate the Luthor mansion." Lois could see the guy was still clearly not understanding. "How is anyone going to believe Mr. Kent supports local farmers when he looks like a big business blow-hard? No offense, Jonathan."

"It's called bridging the demo-graph, dear." He gave her a haughty look. "Besides, I don't know what makes you think you're more qualified to run this campaign than I am."

"Well," She gave him the same look. "I would start by not making up crap and misquoting my candidate."

Jonathan read over the newspaper she handed him. "Wait a minute. It says 'Jonathan Kent is quoted by saying, it is possible to serve corporate interests and maintain the public welfare.' I never said that."

"I did." Sosnick smiled greasily.

"You did?" Jonathan asked, clearly taken aback.

"Yes. Look, this whole John-boy thing, don't get me wrong, you're very good at it but-"

"Get out." Lois said, pointing out the door. "Jonathan needs someone more concerned with what he believes in than numbers on a spreadsheet. Thank you, but your services aren't needed anymore."

"You're not qualified to tell me-"

"Go!" She said, agitated. Clark watched her face transform into a life-threatening expression. She wasn't kidding around.

"Pack it up guys." Sosnick turned, looking defeated. Once he was out of the room Jonathan put his arms over his chest.

"It was good of you to look out for me, Lois, but I don't know who's going to run my campaign now."

"Well," She said, sheepishly. "I didn't do too bad of a job when I did it."

Jonathan laughed and put an arm around her shoulders. "Of course you did. I should've seen that coming."

"Yeah," She laughed too. "But I just didn't have the patience to listen to that whole conversation again. What happened the first time was much cooler."


	17. Chapter 16 Part Two

**This is Chapter 16 Part Two**

Lois made much more headway putting up fliers this time around thanks to Clark. They had done every little town from Smallville to Metropolis and were now going around the MetU campus.

"Why don't you just super speed and get all of this done at once?" She asked, pulling her jacket closer to her against the cold.

_Because I'm not ready to face Lana knowing that one day we'll break each other's hearts. _He thought bitterly. _Plus, I wanted to spend time with you. _

"Are you cold?" He asked, trying to slip out of his coat to give to her.

She put a hand up to stop him. "It's freezing out here. You don't want people to think you're not cold."

"Maybe they'd just think I cared more about you than being uncomfortable." He said, softly. She stared at him, trying to remember a time he ever said anything like that to her to before they worked together at the Planet. Had he always been that kind to her without her noticing, or worse, ridiculing him for it?

"Why didn't you answer my question?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Why are you wasting all this time?"

"It just doesn't seem fair." He admitted. "To Lex, I mean."

"Clark, you're always going to waste your morality on him. Lex Luthor is a greedy, vindictive man who wouldn't have a second thought about throwing your dad under the bus if it meant him winning this election."

"That is _not _the truth!" A blonde, slightly deranged looking girl came up to her, holding a torn Kent poster in her hand. Two thuggish looking boys stood behind her, sizing up Clark as if they could actually take him down.

"Oh really?" Lois said with a glare. "And I'm sure you know that because you are _so_ close to him?"

"I'm head of the Students for Lex Luthor organization. I know everything about him." She got up in Lois's face and Clark pulled Lois back before any serious damage was committed. Lois studied her and realized this was the crazy bitch that was going to try and kill Jonathan. She looked a lot different with all of her hair. "These fliers are not regulation size. CKU regulations dictate that all campaign materials can only be twenty by twenty-four."

"You need to back up sister or you're going to get a lot more than you're asking for."

"The state's future depends on this, Miss Lane."

"You're completely right, Miss Drake. So if you'll get out of the way, I need to finish putting up Mr. Kent's posters." Samantha looked completely taken aback. Thank God Lois had remembered her name from her mugshot.

"How did you know my name?" She eyed Lois suspiciously.

"Doesn't Lex always say know your enemy? I would've thought you'd have brushed up on that."

"I know what Lex says," She snapped. "He also says that progress requires sacrifices."

"Mr. Kent is neck-in-neck with your fascist environmental annihilator and there's nothing that's going to stop him from running Lex into the ground." Lois took a step forward and smirked at her. In a huff she was off with her two goons behind her.

With Samantha out of sight, Lois turned to Clark. "That girl is trouble."

"I can tell," He said, walking towards the truck.

"You don't understand, Smallville. She's serious crazy. Like bunny-boiling psycho." She put a hand on his arm to make him look at her.

"You mean she's dangerous?"

"That's like saying…" She trailed off, unable to finish her thought. She stared at a man across the lawn, petrified. She clutched Clark's arm and whispered, "Look."

Brainiac stood, and watched the pair from afar. He vanished into then air and a split second later Clark followed. He returned within a minute with no news.

"He's following me." Lois said to him.

"We don't know that for sure." He said, trying to comfort her. She stayed silent. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, Lois."

"I know, Clark. I know." She smiled at him, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It just means my life is going to get more complicated than it already is."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Clark felt guilty about leaving Lois unprotected and with Chloe, but he found himself at Lana's dorm room door regardless. He wanted to stay with Lois while she did the rest of her campaigning for the day, but she had insisted on going alone. He guessed she probably wanted time to think things over. Also, he had promised Lana he would come by and take her to the iceskating rink, and he wanted desperately to make everything okay between them. He wanted to prove Lois wrong and change what he knew about the future.

"Hey," He smiled as she opened the door.

"Hi." She greeted him with a kiss. He walked into the room and collapsed on her bed. "Long day of campaigning?"

"Something like that," He sighed.

"Well as much as I'd like to make a fool of myself at the ice rink," She climbed on top of him. "We could always say in tonight."

She started kissing him. This was the moment. Time to prove to himself and to Lana what their love meant to him. Lois said they could be together without any real issues. How she knew that, he wasn't sure, but he trusted Lois and knew she would never do anything to intentionally hurt him or Lana.

"Okay." He said. She sat up to get a better look at him. She tilted her head.

"Really?" He didn't answer, but rolled her under him and started kissing her back.

"Ouch!" Lana gasped. He quickly backed away from her. Was Lois wrong?

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"Not unless you're the one who assigned six diagrams on planetary rotations." She held up a compass. She tossed it to the side and pulled him back to her. He didn't pull away, but he didn't have as much confidence as before. It quickly evaporated as he lost his shirt. Lana ran her fingers through his hair. He knew he was holding Lana, but he was imagining a larger pair of breasts pressed against him, fuller hips under his hands. He stopped. Her fingers didn't have the warmth or force that Lois's had. Her hair smelled like vanilla and jasmine; Lois's smelled like roses and a little like coffee. He had to stop. He was thinking of Lois's body as he touched Lana. What kind of boyfriend was he?

"What's wrong?" Lana asked when he pulled back and got off the bed.

"I have to get home soon and Chloe might be back at any minute." He didn't look her in the eyes as he lied to her. He was freaking out a little at the realization that he might have feelings for Lois. It was going to be his fault if they broke up. He knew deep down that he would be, but he never thought it would be because he wanted someone else.

"Okay, this couldn't be more awkward," Lana said, as she crossed the room to face him. He felt sick with fear that she knew what he had been thinking. "But we haven't been together since I came to MetU."

"You mean we haven't…had…" He stammered.

"Sex." She said rather sharply. "You can't tell me you haven't noticed."

"I have, Lana. Trust me."

"Then what's the problem, Clark? Thing have been different between us since you miraculously came back from the dead. Why are you pushing me away?"

"I don't mean to. I can't explain that anymore. It…changed me." He turned away from her.

"Maybe I'll never understand what you went through, but you're still the same person aren't you?"

"I don't know." It was the most honest thing he had said to her in a long time. Or maybe saying he had changed was. He was fighting it though. He couldn't give up on Lana. Fourteen years of being secretly in love with her and five years of dating on and off couldn't be erased, even if Lois was the only person he'd ever met that made him feel normal. He couldn't ever have Lois, even if he tried. She was going to choose someone else, marry someone else. He would rather fight the future for Lana than end up alone without either of them. But it wasn't fair to Lana for him to have these feelings for Lois. He just needed some breathing room to sort it all out.

Lana noticed all of the conflicting emotions on his face. "What is it?" He didn't answer. "Is this where I have to remind you that we said we weren't going to keep things from each other anymore?"

"There's just a lot going on a home and I feel guilty being here instead of helping out."

"Is this about Lois?"

He almost choked. Could she see through him? "What do you mean?"

"Look, I know you want to save everyone you meet, but you can't let her choices about college or her baby get in the way of your happiness."

"Do you have a problem with Lois all of a sudden?"

"Lex said that she was getting in with the wrong people."

"Lex? When did you start trusting his judgement over mine?"

"Why are you making this about Lex? He's my friend. He used to be yours."

"Used to be, is the key word. I'm gonna go. I'll call you later and we can finish talking about this." He didn't wait for her to finish, he walked all the way to the parking lot and then to the farm without stopping or looking back.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

When Clark got home Lois and Martha were putting away groceries together, talking like old friends. He was glad to see that Lois was talking again and that she looked much less worried. He smiled as she stubbornly reached to put cereal away in the top cabinet, but fell short. He came up behind her and easily put the box away. The spilt second he was pressed against her backside confirmed what he was feeling earlier and he suddenly wondered what he would've done if he had been in the dorm room with Lois instead of Lana. He instantly felt like a horrible person.

"Personal space, Smallville." She reminded him, but grinned anyway.

"Where's dad?" He asked Martha.

"I'm not sure. In the barn probably."

"Alright, I'm going to go talk to him." He exited the kitchen quickly, without looking at Lois again. He hadn't asked for his father's advice about relationships in a long, long time, but he felt like he needed that guidance now more than ever.

Shelby ran up to him before he even got to the barn, barking his head off. Clark scratched him behind the ears and then went to explore.

"Dad?" He called out, but received no reply. He walked deeper into the barn and found his father, hanging upside down with his hands tied behind his back, beaten and bruised. He quickly got him down and ran to the hospital, calling his mother and Lois to meet them there.

Two hours later, once Jonathan was checked over and bandaged up by the doctors at Smallville Medical Center, Lois was listening to Martha try and persuade Jonathan to hold off on his rally. Jonathan wasn't going to back down though.

"I thought the doctor said he wanted to keep you overnight." Martha scolded.

"I'm not backing down, Martha. I'm not going to give them what they want." Jonathan said, putting his shirt back on.

"Something tells me this is not the first time they've called, is it dad?" Clark said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Jonathan, how could you keep this from us? We're in this as a family. You need to be more concerned about your health! Think of your heart!" She snapped and Lois winced.

"My heart is fine."

"Lois," Martha turned to her looking for back-up. She shrugged, not knowing what to say and not enjoying being caught in the middle of it.

"Call everyone back and let them know the rally is still on." Jonathan said, looking pleased with himself.

"I never called." Lois admitted and all three heads turned to stare at her. "I knew he wasn't going to cancel anyway. You're going to be up in the polls ten points if it's any consolation."

Clark pulled Lois out into the hospital hallway, concern etched onto his face. How many times had he stood in this exact spot, wondering who was going to occupy a room next because of him? Since Lois had arrived here, she'd already been admitted twice, and he couldn't count how many times before this.

"Do you know who did this?" He asked, angrily.

"I think…" But she stopped in the middle of her sentence as she saw Lex walking towards them.

"Clark, I heard what happened. I wanted to make sure your father was okay." His face was a perfect stone of sympathy, like he had practiced it in a mirror a hundred times before. Lois had seen it so many times she couldn't even see his face anymore, just the calculating coldness in his blue eyes.

"Trust me, this is about as close to my father as you want to get right now." Lois wasn't sure if Clark was threatening Lex or giving him a warning, either way she was nervous.

Lex nodded with a hint of rage. "He thinks I was behind it, doesn't he?"

"What do you expect him to believe?"

"Maybe the truth. I publicly denounced the attack and offered a reward for any information leading to the assailant's capture. I need you to believe me." Lex said it as if he had memorized a line.

Lois grabbed Clark's arm and started pulling him away from Lex. "Come on."

Lex scrutinized them as they passed. "I'm not sure why you have so much to do with this, Lois."

"You shouldn't have anything to do with this Lex. Obviously Clark doesn't want you to come up here or listen to you saying you didn't do anything wrong again. You just want an audience and we don't want to watch anymore." She said, stomping off in the other direction with Clark in tow.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

It wasn't until the rally was in full-swing, with people cheering, balloons, and the extra security that Lois realized she shouldn't have let herself get distracted earlier. She stood with a very nervous Jonathan, straightening his tie. She should have never let it get this far. Even if she would be letting Clark have an unfair advantage of knowing the future, she should have told him from the beginning how this was going to turn out.

"'Do my part to put the heart back in the Heartland,'" Jonathan recited from his speech. "Those are Martha's words, not mine. She might not even show up to hear them."

"She will. Jonathan, you can't go onto that stage." Lois said.

"I have to, Lois. What kind of leader would I be if I let some pranksters make me back down?"

"They're not just pranksters, they're dangerous people on a mission to destroy you." She took a step closer to him and lowered her voice. "Someone is going to try to kill you tonight."

He backed up and searched her face for the joke he was sure she was telling him. "You said 'try.' I'm can't back down from this, Lois. You know that."

"I can't let you go out there knowing what's coming!" Lois argued, close to hysterical. Jonathan surprised her by pulling her in for a hug. Then he pulled back, smiled a 'thank you,' at her, and stepped out on to the stage.

Lois began to panic, peeking out at the crowd and searching for Clark. When she didn't spot him, she pulled out her phone and dialed his number. She got his voicemail instead of an answer. "Clark, you need to get down to the rally right now, something is going to-"

She stopped talking and snapped the phone shut as she felt a presence behind her. She turned to find someone creeping around in a red baseball cap.

"Hey!" Lois called, bracing herself for the fight she knew was coming. Samantha turned slowly, then swung at her with her gun. Lois jumped out of the way, expecting the blow. Shocked and furious the crazy girl lunged at her. They struggled, and Lois fought to keep her at arms length, always aware that there was a loaded gun between them. Lois punched her in the face, hard enough to make Samantha fall to the ground. A look of decisiveness appeared on her face and she cocked the gun, aiming it at Lois's head.

Lois jumped out of the way, faster than she had ever thought possible. The bullet hit a light and glass shattered over both of them. It distracted Samantha long enough for Lois to smack the pistol out of her hand. It slid across the floor and both women raced to reach it first. It was Lois who was quicker.

"Don't move!" She warned. Samantha didn't listen though. She ran at Lois, grabbing at the gun. Lois tried to hold her off, but it was too risky to let it go on. Lois threw her arms down and pulled the trigger. The bullet met its target, and went straight through Samantha's leg. She dropped to the ground, clutching the wound.

Lois stood over Samantha as she writhed in pain, screaming and cursing at Lois. She held the gun steady though, in case the nut-job decided to pull anything. She could hear people screaming in the background, and could practically feel the panic in the air. Clark burst though the door much slower than Lois would have expected to have just heard a gunshot. He looked back and forth between Lois and Samantha, trying to decide who was at fault and who was the greater danger. Lois couldn't believe him. Like she would actually just go around shooting people? She had just saved his father from being shot-at…not that he knew that, but still, she expected a little gratitude.

"What happened, Lois?" Clark exclaimed.

"She pulled a gun on me! She was trying to assassinate your dad." Clark gave her a disbelieving look. "Look at her, Smallville! She shaved her head to show Lex her devotion to him. Does she look like a stable person?"

He thought for a few seconds, then shook his head. "Put the gun down, Lois. I won't let her go anywhere. We need to call the police and report this."

Thirty minutes later she stood near the ambulances, with Clark behind her and the police menacingly standing in between her and medical care. One had already left with Samantha, but the officers were convinced Lois was about to have a breakdown or realize she had internal injuries from the fight.

The cops had a ton of questions for Lois, mostly going reviewing her story over and over, trying to catch her in a lie. They had even gone as far as threatening to take her to the police station, the standard protocol for shooting incidents, but Lois had convinced them that idea would make their lives much harder than it had to be.

A crowd with the guests from Jonathan's rally, EMTs, reporters, and curious onlookers had formed outside of the Talon. Some people were staring at her, but most were gossiping about what happened or trying to get a word in with Jonathan. Lex Luthor watched Lois and Clark from that crowd. He was giving the two of them a look that reminded Lois of who he was going to become, of what he would eventually do to the world.

Brainiac walked out of his place in the shadows and made a point of walking over to Lex. They started talking, then they both stared at her and Clark. With Lex and Brainiac's identical expressions of determination and distain, Lois realized it was likely that world could be coming to an end in the very near future.


	18. Chapter 17

**Hello everyone! I am sooo sorry this chapter has taken so long, but I moved into college about a month ago and have had to write sentence by sentence. I will do my hardest to devote more time to writing the next chapter, which is my take on Reckoning and will probably be two or three parts. I promise I'm not giving up, I will finish this! So please read and let me know what you think! :)**

_As they approached the fortress, Lois didn't say a word. There was nothing she could say about the place, it was too beautiful for words. Giant crystals that glittered like freshly cut diamonds in the moon light, stacked up like a teepee, and surrounded by oceans of pure white snow. There were no foot prints for miles and no humans would ever scar the landscape with their presence. Clark flew lower and lower towards it, like it was a beacon over an airport landing strip. Its inside was even more breathtaking. There were chambers in every direction and Lois thought perhaps it was bigger on the inside than out. There were clusters of crystals in every color from teal to magenta. She hadn't actually taken it to heart before when Clark told her he was from another planet. Now, she believed. Every cell in her body sang with curiosity. She had been transported to another planet, another galaxy. _

_Clark set her down and backed away from her, letting her explore. She cautiously reached out and touched the wall. It was so cold it burned her hand. She snatched her hand back and rubbed her fingers together gingerly. She shivered violently, so overcome with her surroundings that she never noticed it was below freezing. Clark winced at her pain and mentally slapped himself. He was such an idiot. He didn't feel the cold, but Lois would and he hadn't even thought about it in the midst of everything that happened tonight. _

_"I'll be right back." He said to her before flying off again._

_"Great. I'll just hang out in the alien ice cavern by myself." She threw her hands into the air. _

_She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot for about ten seconds before getting impatient and deciding to wander around. Above her there was a small crack in the structure that allowed light to shine on a small group of crystals. She couldn't help but be drawn to it, and ran a hand over them. One was loose and pulled out easily when she grabbed it. It was surprisingly heavy and felt so smooth she could've been touching the surface of a pool. Suddenly it started glowing and made a sound similar to the ringing of fingers circling a wine glass. She started to slide it back from the spot she got it from, but a hand grabbed her wrist and stopped her. _

_"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Clark said, pulling her away._

_"What would happen?" _

_"I don't know." He admitted. "But a human probably shouldn't try it." _

_He handed her a thick winter coat and some gloves. She put it on, thinking it was strange that he had such good taste in women's fashion. Then a thought came to her. "Is this my coat? From home, I mean?" _

_"Yes." _

_"That was fast." She stated to herself more than him. "How fast are you?" _

_"Not too fast." He smiled at her and she could've sworn he was flirting with her. "Come on, I want you to meet someone." _

_He pulled her by the hand to the center of the room where the light shined down and broke into a million tiny rainbows. _

_"Jor-el!" Clark called out. "I'd like you to meet Lois Lane, from the year 2005." _

_"Hello, Lois Lane." A deep, omnipresent voice replied. _

_"Um, hey." She said, feeling extremely awkward to be talking to an empty structure. "Who is that?" She whispered to Clark._

_"My biological father. Well, his essence at least. It's preserved here."_

_"I am going to send waves of energy through your body to locate the source from which you came to be here." Jor-el said, not caring for Clark's explanation. "You must hold very still, Lois." _

_"Hold still?" She turned her head from side to side, tensing for a fight. "What the hell do you mean?" _

_But the Kryptonian didn't care how outraged Lois was; Jor-el always managed to get his way. Lois was suddenly wrapped up in a swirling blue light. She couldn't move or speak or even think. She felt as if she were submerged under a swimming pool full of feathers. Her whole body had the sensation of a limb falling asleep. The amount of pure energy surging through her body was enough to light up Metropolis. _

_It was over as quickly as it started. She started falling from five stories up and found herself gently cradled in Clark's arms. She clung to him for dear life, heart racing and unable to catch her breath. _

_"Oh my God," She whispered to him, but he wasn't paying attention to her. He looked positively furious. _

_"How dare you treat my wife like that!" He shouted into the air. "That was completely unnecessary!"_

_"It seems, Kal-el, that your Lois has had an unfortunate run in with a Tayurkahn." _

_"A what?" Clark asked, his anger abandoned and sounding as puzzled as Lois felt. _

_"An individual from the planet Tayurkah, which lay in the galaxy neighboring Krypton. They are a species of high intelligence, second only to us. They have evolved through the millennia to shift back and forth through time and space." _

_"Why would a Tayurkahn have a grudge against Lois?" _

_"Perhaps it is not what she has done, but what you have done, Kal-el."_

_"Or will do." Lois added, in a near-silent tone. _

_"So how do we set things right?" Clark asked after a long pause. "The Legion Ring won't work on her." _

_"Where do you think the energy behind that ring comes from Kal-el?" Lois thought Jor-el was just being condescending at this point. _

_"Brainiac created it, so it must come from Krypton." He answered back, but looked unsure of himself. _

_"We do not have that capability, Kal-el. It's power source is not from our world. To ensure their survival, the ring will not work against another Tayurkahn or beings that have moved with them. It would have a canceling effect." _

_"But you can send her back. You've done it to me in the past." Clark argued, anger rising back in him. _

_"Not physically, Kal-el. I have shown you alternate time lines of the past and future to show you the right path, but it was in your mind. The crystal you used when Jonathan Kent died was also not of Kryptonian origin." Jor-el sounded solemn for the first time since they had arrived. _

_"So we can't fix this?" Lois asked, her voice as well as the rest of her body, shaking. She glanced over at Clark and found the same expression on his face. _

_"No," He said, firmly. "There has to be something." _

_"The only thing you can do Kal-el, is find the one responsible for sending Lois to you and convince him to send her back." _

_"How would I find him? I have no idea what these _things_ look like." He shot a determined look at Lois._

_"Tayurkahns look like us. Like humans, but with distinctive green eyes. As for locating them, I would ask a Martian. Their feud runs through centuries and they have developed means far beyond ours to track them." Jor-el's voice had a lingering finality to it. Clark recognized it as the end of the advice he was going to get from his biological father. Without another word, he scooped Lois up into his arms, with much less protest than before, and left his fortress. _

_0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0_

_The diner looked strikingly bland to Lois after visiting the ice castle. It was a small, open all night place attached to a truck stop in Nebraska. Clark sat across from her, in his regular clothes, staring hard at a menu. She felt almost sick sitting there, feeling like the weight of the entire universe was crushing her. Before she knew who Clark really was, she didn't really think about what it meant for there to be life outside of Earth. He was a hero and he was the last of his kind. She didn't really think about the fact that there could be other races of aliens out there. _

_"I wish I could've known a couple years ago that this was the way to keep you silent." Clark joked. Truly he was worried. He wasn't used to such long periods of silence from his wife. Still she didn't speak, not even to snap at him. "Lois, I promise I will find the person who did this to you. I'll make sure you get home." _

_"I just don't know how I take it everyday." She said more to herself than to him. _

_"Take what?" He asked, apprehensively. _

_"Being so…powerless." _

_"You're not powerless, Lois. You're the only person I know that can walk into a room and demand the respect of everyone there." _

_"Clark, how many times have you had to jump in at the last second and save me?" His silence answered her question. "I thought that I felt this way because I was just thrown into this life, everyone else knew the ending, had all the answers and I was still clueless. But her- I mean my, whole life is like that. I married a guy that can lift a freight train for God's sake!" _

_He shot her a look and glanced around nervously at the other restaurant goers. No one was paying a lick of attention to them. _

_"Sorry. I'm not used to having a giant, life-altering secret to keep."_

_"I know, Lois. And I'm sorry to have to put it on you. But everything is going to be okay." He said, trying to calm her down. He instinctively sensed a Lois-sized meltdown coming on. _

_"No, Clark, I don't think you get it. I don't mean to be a bitch, but come on! I'm your wife and some alien attacked me, possibly ruining our entire lives! How did you let that happen? How is it ever going to be okay?" _

_He hung his head. She was right, like she usually was. He had tired his whole life to help people and had failed at protecting the ones closest to him. Now he understood that he had failed her, the most important to him. He had to make that right, no matter the cost. _

_"Who's with Jase?" Lois asked, breaking the deafening silence. _

_"Chloe and Oliver." He said, automatically. _

_"Do you…we," She corrected herself. "Ever worry about him hurting other kids?" _

_He stared at her, wondering where she was going with it. He weighed his words very carefully before answering her. "Of course. It would be irresponsible of us not to, but we've always taught him the right way and how to handle his abilities. We agreed to raise him the same way my parents raised me, though it's probably easier for us." _

_"Alright." She said, processing. _

_Their middle aged, bad tempered waitress stopped by the table with some coffee and few words. She stared into her coffee, fidgeting in the booth. Clark recognized the gears turning in her brain. It was the same look she always had when preparing for a difficult interview. _

_"Do you have some questions for me?" _

_She looked up at him, surprised. She forgot sometimes how well he knew her. "No…it's too personal." _

_"Lois…we're married." _

_"Me in twelve years. Not us." She snapped. Then, strangely, she felt guilty. "I'm sorry. It's just a lot to deal with in one night. I mean, I find out who you are, meet your dead computer dad, and am told we're hopelessly screwed and I'm stuck here forever!" _

_"You aren't stuck here forever." He said, firmly. "I'm going to do everything in my power to make it right." _

_His words hung in the air like the threatening clouds of a thunderstorm. Lois knew the kind of power he possessed and the way he said it, she knew he wasn't bullshitting her. It made her feel stronger and gave back some of the confidence she had lost in the fortress. _

_"Why don't we have more children?" She said, suddenly. _

_Clark nearly spit out his coffee. "What?" _

_"I don't know, Farmer John, I had just assumed you'd have wanted like ten little boogers running around and Jase is already three." _

_His face fell. How was he going to answer that without freaking her out? "Um, well, we made the decision together that it would be best to just have him."_

_"Why, what happened?" She pushed. _

_"It was dangerous to have another child." She gave him a confused look and he huffed. "For you to have another child…by me." _

_"What do you-" Then she realized. "Oh." _

_Another, more embarrassing question popped into her head. One that she knew she would regret asking. "Well how do we…?" _

_"How do we what?" He asked, clearly missing the point. She gave him a meaningful look, begging him to understand so she wouldn't have to say it out loud. "Sex? Oh! How do we have… Well, like anyone else Lois. With more trust, of course." _

_Lois returned to staring into her coffee cup, surprised that Clark hadn't turned a dark shade of red. He was so different than she knew. He was confident now, more mature. She decided that she liked that. "Right. So where are we going to find this Tayurkahn thing?" _

_"I am going to enlist the help of some friends. You are going to stay out of it." _

_She snorted loudly. "And that's probably how we ended up in this situation in the first place." _

_"Exactly. It's after you and there's no way I'm letting you get involved this time." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. _

_"Let me?" She said, furiously. "You don't _let _me do anything, Clark Kent. I do what I want." _

_"Lois, please. It's too dangerous for you. Besides, I need you investigating Lex so I can focus on this." He smirked at her and she tried not to smile back. _

_"So I get Lex and you get the little green men?" She repeated. _

_"Yes, Mrs. Kent." He smiled as she rolled her eyes. _

_She stuck out her hand for him to shake. "You have yourself a deal." _


	19. Chapter 18 Part One

**Happy New Year my lovely readers! I cannot express how sorry I am that it has taken me months and not weeks to finish and post this chapter. I pinky promise I will work harder and devote more time to getting this story written. As always, enjoy and let me know what you think! :) **

**This is Part One and Part Two will be up shortly.**

This was it; the day that Lois had been dreading for weeks on end. There was nowhere to run, there was no one to turn to or save the day, there was no more time. Today was the day that Jonathan Kent was going to die.

She was hiding in the barn, weighing her options. How could she sit there and doing nothing while her beloved father-in-law passed? But who was she to play God, to change fate and rewrite history? It wasn't in her nature to stand by and let people get hurt, but who knows what would change if she saved Jonathan? She could lose Clark. She could lose Jase. She could lose this baby. Would she even deserve Clark if she didn't do everything she could to stop the tragedy that was going to happen in a few short hours?

Lois stared out of the large window at the fields and into the morning sky. She knew it was freezing cold, but she couldn't feel it. She felt like she was going to burn from the inside out and just melt into the January air. It was going to snow tonight through Sunday. She distinctly remembered the bitter cold and the blinding white of it in the cemetery all those years ago. What had she ever done to deserve living through it again?

Clark watched Lois from his place on the stairs. She hadn't heard him approach, too lost in her own thoughts. Watching her like this, vulnerable and not bothering to hide her worries, stopped him in his tracks. He was guilty of always forgetting Lois's dilemmas and getting caught up in his family and Lana. Lois never relied on him the way that other people did and he often put her on the back-burner, knowing that in a way, she was strong and capable enough to take care of herself. In moments like this, when she had unintentionally let her guard down, he felt like he was opening his eyes to things he usually missed. Lois needed him. Not just someone to confide in or a protector, she needed him specifically to get her back home.

Lois turned to face Clark, curious as to how long he had been standing there. She was surprised to see him, because last night he had talked about going on some kind of date with Lana. She had thought she would finally have the barn to herself and could break down in peace.

"What are you doing back here so soon?" She asked him after a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

"I never left," He said, softly. "I told her that there was too much to do around here for me to leave with her."

"And what's the real reason you stood her up?" Lois asked, raising an eyebrow. He didn't answer right away. He crossed the room and leaned against the window, opposite her.

"I've lied to her everyday since the first day we met, Lois. I don't even have to think about it anymore. It's kind of like breathing." He seemed to be in a distant place, far away from both Lois and the farm. He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm so tired of it."

"So you're running away from her?"

He ignored her question and continued rambling. "Growing up, I never thought I could have a real relationship with anyone. I always assumed I'd be alone, and that was just the way it had to be. But during the past few years, I thought that being different wouldn't matter as long as I had her. Or I don't know, maybe I thought I could change to be with her. But I don't know if I can anymore, Lois. I don't know if I can be with Lana and be myself."

"Where are you going with this, Clark?"

"Everything has changed. I don't know if I'm in love with her the way I used to be. I'm starting to think she's not the one I need in my life." Lois stayed silent, waiting for him to continue. "I know I'm losing her, but maybe it's time for me to let her go."

"This seems a little sudden." She said, slowly. "What made you decide all this?"

"I was going to ask her to marry me today."

"You what?" Lois could practically feel her heart stop. She had never known he had been this close to forever to Lana. Had something changed or had she just never known about it before?

"I was going to tell her too." He sighed. Seeing Lois's too-still face he clarified, "Tell her everything."

Lois gasped out loud and Clark eyed her strangely. She took a few shaky steps to the couch, putting her head in her hands. She thought she might have a panic attack. How could he be so stupid?

"That's…" She searched for words but she could find none suitable. All she wanted was to cuss him out and shake some sense into him. Testing her own self-control, she settled for a calm reply instead. "A big step."

"Yeah, it is." He agreed, quietly.

"Why are you telling me this instead of Chloe?" She said. It didn't come out as sharply as she had intended. She wanted to be furious with him, but she felt empty and defeated instead.

"Because…" He grabbed her hand, surprising her. When his eyes met hers, she felt something she hadn't truly felt in months. "Because, Lois, I'm pretty sure you know me better than anyone in this world."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

It wasn't an easy job to turn the Talon into a beautiful, red, white, and blue future victory party. It looked much like the campaign rally, but Lois spent more time on it, obsessing on perfection. From the streamers, to the hors d'oeuvres, to the confetti that she planned to go off the moment the announcement was made, Lois had done her best to make tonight even better than it had been the first time around.

At one, she stopped organizing beverages behind the counter and went to find Martha, who had insisted on going to her first doctor's appointment with her. Lois told her that it was unnecessary, and she didn't want to take Jonathan away from her on a day like this, but her mother-in-law just silenced her with a glare. First, she didn't think it was right for Lois to go to her first ultrasound alone, and second, she wasn't going to miss out on seeing one of her grand-babies for the first time.

When Lois found her, Martha was arguing loudly with someone on the phone.

"No, I specifically said January 26th!" She said, putting a hand to her forehead. "Yes, I have the receipts…I talked to a young man named Daniel…I can't come down there, I'm right in the middle of putting together an election party."

"What's going on?" Clark asked from behind her. She whirled around on him, clutching her hand to her heart. It was the second time he had walked up on her today. They hadn't talked since early this morning and Lois felt as if she could cut the tension in the air with a knife.

"Idiotic caterers probably."

"Fine," Martha snapped after a long pause. "I'll be there soon."

She snapped the phone shut, muttering under her breath. She looked back and forth between Lois and Clark, confused. Lois could see the moment she remembered the doctor's appointment and her face shifted apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Lois. I'll call them back and tell them I'm coming later."

"No, no. Don't do that." She said, quickly before Martha could finish dialing the number. "I told you, it's not a big deal. I'll be fine by myself. I promise."

Before Martha could fight her on that decision Clark asked, "Where are you supposed to go?"

"A doctor's appointment," Martha answered for her, then clarified. "For the baby."

"I'll go with you, Lois." Clark offered.

"No, no. You don't have to do that." Lois said, horrified.

"You know what," Martha said, flashing a wicked grin at Lois. "I think that's a great idea."

Lois glared at her mother-in-law, who was clearly thrilled at the idea of forcing a family moment between them. She wished Martha could understand how hard that was going to be for her, how she'd have to hold in all of her emotions in front of him. She gave herself a pep-talk as she rode in near-silence to Emil's office with Clark. Lois Lane had sat face-to-face the most corrupt, evil, strong men on Earth and had stood her ground. She married an alien for god's sake and had survived birthing their son. She could do it. She could do anything she put her damn mind to.

A wide smile spread across her face as her favorite Whitesnake song came on the radio. She sang along happily until she noticed Clark's hand reaching to change the channel. "What the hell do you think you're doing Smallville?"

"Come on, Lois. Don't you think the all months I had to listen to you sing this in the shower were enough for one lifetime?"

"Oh, can it, Sparky." She snapped. "Don't you think I've heard 'He stopped loving her today' enough for one lifetime? I don't stop you!"

He laughed harder than she'd heard in a long time. She continued singing and he continued driving, and to Lois it started to feel just like old times. They started talking, really talking for the first time. Lois had been through the conversations before, when they had first started dating, but she didn't mind. Clark opened up to her about his dreams, his childhood, and people he wasn't able to save. Lois told him more about her life in the future, editing out specifics when it came to him. He knew enough not to ask about her husband, but he let her go on and on about Jase, laughing with her and asking questions about him. He also asked her about boys she'd dated before she came to Smallville and started jokingly keeping count of how many of her dates end up with a bloody nose instead of a goodnight-kiss. It was by far the longest conversation Clark could ever remember having with Lois and he found himself disappointed when they reached Metropolis General.

Clark sat in the waiting room of the women's center, watching Lois argue with the nurses at the front desk. She insisted that they call her doctor, and they insisted that perhaps she had gotten the name wrong. Dr. Hamilton was a very busy doctor and neither an OBGYN nor an ultrasound technician. With a smug look on her face she pulled out her cell phone, dialed a number, and handed the nurse the phone after a brief conversation. He watched the nurse get very embarrassed and quickly showed them into a small room.

Lois jumped up on to the table, hands clasped in her lap. Clark took a seat in the chair next to her, eying the stirrups wearily. The seconds felt like years as they waited together under the too-bright lights of the room.

"Are you worried?" Clark asked.

"Mothers worry all the time." She answered vaguely. Then she grinned at him. "I'm excited, too. That helps. You look nervous." He had looked the same way the first time she had seen him here too, but she kept that to herself.

Instead of trying to come up with a macho-facade, he swallowed loudly. "Should I be?"

Lois didn't have a chance to answer him because Emil showed up then. He smiled at Lois about to greet her, but stopped when he saw Clark in the chair beside her. Emil scrutinized him, from his jaw line to the large hands gripping his knees. He turned back to Lois, trying to get a clue to who Clark was from her body language. From her wide eyes and rigid back, he came to his own conclusions, casting his eyes down to the folder in his hands.

"How are you doing today, Miss Lane?" Emil asked her, glancing up from the papers with a polite smile.

"My nausea has subsided, but my back is killing me. I've also developed headaches. Usually they start in the middle of the night and they're so bad they wake me up." She said, in a no nonsense tone. She nodded her head to the right at Clark. "This is my friend, Clark Kent."

Emil leaned over to shake his hand, but Clark stood immediately, to take his hand. Lois wasn't used to seeing him so smooth and confident when meeting people. Ten years from now he would cower in the corner, stumble over words, and keep his eyes to the ground.

"Dr. Emil Hamilton," He introduced himself. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Kent."

Clark replied that it was nice to meet him too, then returned to his seat. Getting down to business, Emil took Lois's temperature, blood pressure, and some of her blood, which he had sworn to keep to himself. Then he old her to lift her shirt, squirted jelly on her and began the ultrasound. The sound of a strong, quick, swishing sound filled the room.

"It that…?" Clark stood from his chair, leaned towards the screen and stared in disbelief.

"The heartbeat, yes." Emil said, repositioning the ultrasound wand until he got the perfect image. It was very tiny, a blip even, but it was a baby. A perfect, healthy-looking, little being. Lois watched Clark's face break into a wide smile, the one he saved for moments where he was truly happy.

Emil waved the wand around, getting the angles he wanted. His face was an emotionless, clean slate until he printed Lois a picture and clicked the screen off. He handed her a towel to wipe off with and smiled at her as he got up.

"You're on track and the baby's growing a little fast for thirteen weeks, but everything looks good. We should schedule another appointment for mid-February. The...11th? Does that work for you?" He asked looking down into a small black planner. She nodded and he scribbled quickly. "In a few weeks we can find out the gender, if you want. Call me if you have any questions or if you aren't feeling normal." The look he gave Lois made it clear that nothing looked too unusual, even for her, and that he understood Clark was out of the loop. He turned to Clark as he began to walk out of the room. "It was nice to meet you, Clark. Take care of her, she's a once-in-a lifetime woman."

Both Lois and Clark watched Emil go in confusion. Lois, wondering if her feelings for him were so obvious that Emil could spot it even in less time than Martha, and Clark not knowing why the doctor had said that to him specifically. Neither of them spoke for several minutes as they left the hospital, too caught up in their own thoughts to say anything.

Once they were in the truck Clark asked her, "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"It's a little early for that," She replied in amusement. The sound of excitement in his voice made warmth flood through her. She wanted so badly to share this with him, to pick out names with him now, and not have to worry about getting back home, not have to be scared of giving birth with no one there to hold her hand.

"Oh," He sounded slightly deflated.

"Well, Jase is named after his grandfathers, so if I had a girl, I'd probably follow in that same tradition." Clark looked over at her in the passenger seat and waited patiently for her to continue. "Her name would be Ella Grace."

"That's pretty, Lois. I like the name Grace. It's my mother's middle name."

"I know." She said, quietly.

"I would've expected an "L" name though. You know, Lois...Lucy...Lane."

"We could call her Ellie." She laughed hard at her own joke and Clark shook his head.

"I hope I have kids one day. I don't even know if it's possible, but I think I could be a good dad."

"You'd be the best." She said, gently.

"You really think so?"

She reached out hesitantly and touched his arm. He turned to her with a puzzled look. Blue-gray eyes locked with hazel and the atmosphere in the truck hummed with intensity. In the long seconds that followed, Lois felt her resolve weaken, and for a second she nearly came clean to him. She could tell him the truth, she knew that now. He was a man who would sacrifice every part of his being to save another person. The man who loved with everything he had, and would love her like that for all her life. She could never have picked a better man to father her children. He would stand by her, if he knew the truth. She opened her mouth to tell him, "I love you" or say, "You're going to have the family you want and you're going to save the world too." But she didn't say either of those things. She couldn't get the words out. She wanted the genuine kind of love that they had, not the awkward, forced relationship of people that were obligated to each other.

"Clark, I know you will."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Chloe was waiting for Lois in the apartment above the Talon, buzzing with energy. She jumped Lois the door opened. "Lemme see!"

"See what?" Lois asked, mid-yawn. Without the aid of coffee, she was exhausted and tempted to steal the couch for a quick nap.

"The picture of my future niece or nephew!" Chloe's excitement bubbled over and made Lois perk up a bit. She rummaged through her purse to find the cardboard envelope that contained the ultrasound photo and handed it to her cousin.

"Awwww," Chloe cooed as she studied it. She pointed down and said, "Look at that jawline. It's definitely Clark's."

"Have you…" Lois hesitated. She knew it hurt Chloe to know that she and Clark were destined to be together, and that she put on a brave face because she loved Lois, but she could never hide the sadness and twinge of betrayal behind her eyes. Chloe was the only person she could really talk to about what was going on in her life though. Her only choice was Chloe. "Have you noticed Clark acting strangely the past two weeks?"

"Strange? Clark?" Chloe laughed. "You're going to have to elaborate."

"He'd been broodier than usual, watching everyone around him like a hawk. I mean he stares at us like lightning is about to come out of the sky and strike us. And this morning…" She trailed off wondering if she should go on or not. "This morning he, thankfully, changed his mind about proposing."

"He was going to propose to Lana?" Chloe whispered, as if saying it too loudly would anger the Gods.

"Yeah, I know right!" She huffed. "Good thing he had sense this time, so I didn't have to knock it into him."

"Wait, what did he say?"

"That he was tired of lying to her, his feelings have changed, and maybe it's time to let her go."

"Wow," Chloe said, running her fingers through her hair. Then she smiled a Cheshire cat grin. "Maybe he has the hots for you."

"Oh, Chloe, be serious." She laughed, but couldn't help the butterflies forming in her stomach at the thought.

"I am being serious!" Chloe was about to list out all the reasons she believed that to be true when she heard someone coming up the stairs. With the volume of the stomping, Chloe and Lois were expecting to see Clark, but instead it was Lana that peaked her head through the door.

"Lana, hey!" Chloe said, with a guilty expression.

"Hey," Lana replied. She eyed Lois wearily, in a way that made it clear her greeting was for only one person in the room.

"You know," Lois said, backing towards the door. "I'm going to go find Martha and see what else she needs me to do."

"What's up?" Chloe asked, once Lois was out of the room. Lana didn't respond. Instead she stood there, wringing her hands together, searching for words. Chloe took a step closer and saw that her eyes were red and puffy, like she had been crying. Chloe put an arm around her, steering her to the couch. Even sitting down, Lana wouldn't face her. "What's the matter?"

"He cancelled on me again." She said. There was no need for Chloe to ask which "he" Lana was referring to. "That's the third time in a week."

"Did he say why?"

"That he was busy with the campaign today and would talk to me later. I wonder if he knows I can tell he's lying by the sound of his voice after all these years?" She nearly started crying, but took a deep breath to stop herself.

"Well you know, Lana, today is a big day for them. He was probably telling the truth."

"He was blowing me off Chloe, I know the difference." She snapped.

"If you're so sure about that, why do you put up with it? Why stay with him?"

"Because I love him." She looked Chloe in the eyes for the first time since she had arrived.

"Is that enough? For either of you?"

"We've always loved each other and it's always been a rough road. For a couple years I didn't think we would make it, but we have. We're meant to be together." Tears started to form and rolled down her face. "You know how he is, brave and mysterious, trying to save the whole world on his own. He's impossible not to love. But, he's changed Chloe. It hasn't been the same with us since he was shot and Lois moved back in."

"Wait, you think Lois is the cause of you and Clark's relationship problems?"

"No, not entirely, but something's changed between them. Anybody can tell that."

"Do you really think that he would cheat on you? And with my cousin of all people?" Chloe know Lois was special to Clark, or at least she would be, but anyone aware of their past or how long Clark had pined after Lana, would be hard to convince of that.

"I…" Lana hesitated. "I don't know anymore."

"Guys as honorable as Clark don't come around often. Remember that when you try to make him the villain."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Clark stood at the bottom of the Talon's stairs in an uncomfortable suit, shaking hands and smiling until his face hurt. In a few minutes Lois would get the call telling her the fate of the Kansas State Senate. Everything in Clark's life could change tonight and he was sure that no matter what was coming, he would embrace the fresh start.

He hadn't seen or talked to Lana all day, but he assumed she would show up tonight to at least support his parents. He wasn't sure what he would say to her yet. He didn't know what he wanted. With Lana he was never fully sure of what he wanted or what was right. The only thing that kept him from running to his barn loft was knowing that Lois was going to walk down those stairs soon and she would be furious if he wasn't there waiting for her.

His father slowly made his way over to him. "How you holding up, son?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that." Clark replied with a smile.

"I'm ready." Jonathan answered in a preacher-like voice. Like a man who knew all the answers, good and bad, and was able to take whatever was thrown his way.

"I'm proud of you, dad. Not many men would be willing to stand up against a Luthor and tell the world you don't condone his actions. I hope one day that will be me."

"You don't know how much it means to hear you say that, Clark. Without you, I would still be the angry farmer, complaining about corrupt politicians who couldn't understand what so many Kansans were going through. I never would have had the strength to run for office and actually do something to help people." Jonathan smiled at Clark, and clapped him on the back in affection. "I'm going to go rescue your mother from the McCoys before she loses her mind."

Clark watched his parents from across the room, his mother looking up at Jonathan with so much happiness that she was practically glowing. He couldn't think of a time he had been more thankful for them than he was at this moment.

Finally he heard her, the swish of her hair, the clacking of her high heels against the wood, her determined breath before she spoke. Lois started down the stairs, with one hand gracefully gripping the railing like a debutante. He stopped breathing until she began talking.

"Everyone! Everyone!" She shouted, but no one had stopped their conversations. She put two fingers up to her lips and let out a piercing whistle that stopped every sound in the room. "I just got the heads up from the newsroom. And ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at our new senator."

Applause roared from every person in the room, seeming to shake the little coffee shop. Martha and Jonathan held on to each other while the waves of congratulations rolled over them. Lois reached the bottom of the stairs and started to go to Clark when he reached her first, hugging her so tightly that she was lifted high off the ground. He swung her around, not thinking of anything but Lois's warm body pressed against him. They both secretly smiled into the others hair, enjoying the closeness.

Lana had to tear her eyes off the scene in front of her to answer Lex's phone call. Clark Kent and Lois Lane were embracing each other as if they had just been announced a married couple instead of Jonathan being announced senator. She couldn't believe what she was seeing or how much it hurt. She didn't even think it would cause her this much pain if she had caught them in bed together. Then, at least it would've just been physical, but that innocent, small showing of affection made Lana know they were falling in love with each other.

She bolted out of the Talon to her car. She didn't stop or even slow until she got to Lex's mansion. She found Lex with a glass of scotch in his hand, staring into the fire. She closed the door softly behind her.

"You sounded pretty upset in your message." Her voice came out as barely a whisper. She knew if she was too loud she would be hoarse from crying.

"I probably shouldn't have called." He said, draining his glass. "Shouldn't do a lot of things, but I seem to do them anyway."

He poured himself another drink before turning back to her. He studied her, taking in her tear tracked cheeks and flushed face before asking, "What happened?"

"Nothing," She said, standing up straighter. "It was nothing."

"Nothing wouldn't have sent you over here to the spoiled rich kid whose failure is cause for a statewide celebration."

"Lex, I know how hard you worked for this, but I don't think you should take it so personally." Lana said, taking a step closer to him, and gently placing a hand on his arm.

"Just once Lana, I wanted to get out from under his shadow, you know? Earn something on my own." He took another sip of drink. "Well, consider yourself lucky you never had a father to endure."

She backed away from him as if he had slapped her. Fury rose up in her. Clark had disrespected her before and now Lex thought it was his turn. She wasn't going to stand for it again. "I think it's best we talk about this when you're not drunk."

"See, now I've hurt your feelings. Perfect." He walked over to his bar and put down his glass. "Lana wait."

She stopped turning the door handle and looked back at him. "What did he do?" Lex asked, softly. "What did Clark do to you this time?"

"Why do you think it was him?"

"It's always him, Lana. Every time you cry, every time you're in pain, it's him."

"I…I saw him with Lois, and I just can't shake the feeling that something is there between them." She started to shake from crying and Lex wrapped his arms around her tucking her in close.

"Lana, I hate to say this, but I don't think you're wrong. People I know have seen them around together, doing things I'm sure are behind your back. You know about her pregnancy, right?" Lana nodded. Her knees went weak in anticipation with what he was about to tell her. "The timeline for her conception...it's right around the time she showed up again in Smallville from Europe. Right when she moved back to the farm. If you allow yourself, you will see the truth."

She looked up at him through wet lashes, trying desperately to catch her breath. In between sobs she managed to say, "I don't understand how he could do this to me. Why would you lie and betray someone you love?"

"I wouldn't." He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her. For a moment she leaned in closer, kissing him back, but once she realized what she had done, she shoved him away and ran out of the door.

"Lana! Lana, wait!" Lex shouted after her, but she refused to stop.

She could barely see and she was shaking hard as she drove away from the mansion. She couldn't get the image out of her head. Clark's hands on Lois's body when they should've been on hers. The sweet words he used to whisper in her ear when he was loving her, now being said to Lois. It made her sick. She had to confront him. She dialed his number, clutching the phone to her ear as if it were a lifeline.

"Hello?" He answered. She could hear the guilt in his voice.

"How could you?" She screamed. She had planned on being calm and collected, coaxing the truth out of him. She couldn't help it though, he had broken her heart.

"Lana, what are you talking about? What did I do?"

"Lois! You did Lois!"

"Lois? What are you talking about? Where are you?"

"I know the truth now, Clark."

"Truth? Tell me what you know." He sounded panicked. Good. He deserved it.

"The truth about Lois's baby. I know who the father is!" A sob racked her whole body. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a brilliant white light. She barely had time to scream before the bus collided with her Jeep, tossing her body around like a rag doll.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lois rode with Jonathan over to the scene of the accident. Clark cradled a bleeding broken person in his arms, pleading that they just live. Lois jumped out of the truck before it had stopped moving and ran over to Clark. She stopped dead when she realized it was Lana in his arms. Something terrible and irreparable had changed in the timeline. She grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away from her body. She lost her grasp as he disappeared before her eyes and into the night.


	20. Chapter 18 Part Two

The morning sun glittering off the snowy fields blinded Lois, leaving her even more confused than she had been. Turning away from the barn window, she tried to piece together the events that lead her to this point. She remembered the accident, Clark's disappearance, and the ambulance taking away Lana's body. She couldn't remember how she got back to the farm though or how she ended up in the loft. Lois had woken up plenty of times in college with no recollection of the night before, but those days were long behind her. Perhaps she'd been drugged.

She heard someone make their way up the stairs and whirled around to face Clark. He didn't look surprised to see her there. A haunted look settled in his eyes and she could tell he hadn't slept all night.

"Oh my God, Clark! Are you alright? Where did you go?" She took a step towards him, with an outstretched hand, trying to comfort him. He stepped back out of her reach.

"What do you mean? We've been here all night." He said.

"No, Clark. Last night your father won the race and Lana was in a terrible accident. Where did you go?" Something was wrong. Both she and Clark were confused and he didn't even remember last night.

"You remember that?" Clark asked. He turned away from her and mistakenly said out loud, "How does she know about that?"

"What do you mean how do I remember? It was twelve hours ago!"

"It should have worked." He muttered sadly. Ignoring Lois he pulled out his phone to check the date. He had gone back in time. It was January 26th again. He looked at Lois in confusion. He had gone back in time, changed what happened. Why wasn't Lois affected like everyone else should be?

"Clark, what did you do?" He didn't answer, just continued to look at her with confusion and a hint of guilt. "What did you do?"

"I didn't know what else to do. I went to Jor-el." There was a slightly crazed look in his eyes that told her how lost he really was.

"And?"

"He gave me a crystal that could make me go back in time. I didn't really believe it would work, but I had to try. I couldn't let her die, Lois."

"Oh God, Smallville, what have you done?" She shouted. "You can't just mess with time like that, it's not natural. You don't know what kind of things can happen because of this!"

"I made a mistake Lois, and she died because of it!" He shouted back, with more anger than she had ever expected from him.

"What are you talking about?" Lois could feel the storm brewing.

"I let myself get...confused. I never should have changed my mind about her."

"Confused? About what? What did Jor-el say to you?"

"It doesn't matter what he said." Clark said, coldly, turning away from her.

"Stop turning your back on me!" She snapped, but he still ignored her. "I know that you're upset because of what you saw last night, but I think your grief is clouding your judgement."

"No, Lois. I'm seeing everything clearly for the first time in a long time." He faced her. She was shocked to find him glaring at her, his features contorted into a blank mask of anger. "I'm supposed to be with Lana. Nothing about me makes sense without her."

"That's ridiculous!" She spat. Fury bubbled up from her stomach, threatening to erupt. She didn't know if she was so angry because of his ignorance or because she found herself jealous of a whiny, entitled, insignificant girl who would become just a blip on his timeline when he married her.

"Ever since you showed up here, you've changed everything! You walked around spouting your wisdom at me, telling me that I'm going to end up as some big hero, making me think that I could do anything. And I believed it!" He threw his hands up in the air, and for the first time in her life, she fliched away from him. Regret lit up his features immediately, but he was too angry to take it back. "I believed in you, and then Lana died!"

"Clark Kent, are you actually trying to blame what happened to her on me?" She shouted, so angry she was shaking.

"Of course not. It was my fault." He whispered. "My fault that I didn't stop it and my fault for trusting you."

"When have I ever given you a reason you a reason not to trust me? Everything I've done has been to protect you, dumbass!"

"You've been keeping secrets from the beginning! Last night when Lana called me, she accused me of fathering your child. Why would she think that unless you said something to her to make her believe that?"

Lois stopped dead as if he had slapped her. How could someone as self-absorbed as Lana see the truth? "You're not angry at me Clark, you're angry at yourself. You need to make me your enemy so you don't have to stop and think about why you're so guilty."

He froze, really listening to her for the first time since he had walked up those steps. He started to regret being so angry with her. She deserved better than for him to take out his pain on her.

"You're right, Lois. I'm sorry. I just… I thought there was something between us. I knew how stupid that was, but I still let those feelings get out of control." He turned to her with sad-puppy eyes. Lois couldn't breathe as she waited for him to continue. "Yesterday I made a mistake and there's only one way to fix it now. I've planned my whole life with Lana, and I was being impulsive when I decided to let her go."

"You're being impulsive now!"

"No, I'm being a man and taking responsibility for my own actions. It's time I stop lying to the woman I love."

"She can't handle what you're going to tell her, Clark." She said through gritted teeth. "She's not strong enough and that weakness will get her killed. You'll end up right back here with no way out."

"You can't know that." He said.

"I do, and you know it too. There's a reason you've waited this long and lied to her all these years." He turned and started walking away from her. Lois nearly began to hyperventilate as she watched him go. "Just remember that there are things that you can never take back, Smallville."

He glanced back at her. For a moment she could have sworn he understood what she was staying, and knew who exactly he was giving up, but from his expression she knew that he had made a choice and it was too late to change his mind now.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lois stared at the golden globe spinning endlessly on top of the Daily Planet. Until now she had never debated walking through those doors.

She cancelled her doctor's appointment in order to clear her mind and focus on what was going to happen now that Clark had changed the timeline. She was furious at him for costing her the ultrasound photo that she could never get back. Her first instinct was to run to Chloe and vent to her about Clark. She was so tired of carrying her burden alone, but she didn't know exactly how to explain this one to Chloe.

There was an invader at Chloe's desk when Lois reached her destination. Of course Clark had already beaten her to the punch, and was spilling his guts to her cousin. Smug thoughts entered her head as she watched anger and disappointment form on Chloe's face.

Lois was walking over to the two of them when she noticed that something was very wrong in the pit.

"What are you doing here, Lois?" She heard Clark say. She ignored him, walking past them to a desk right beside the stairs. Standing there, talking to a young, flustered looking journalist, was Brainiac. Lois strained her ears to hear the information he was feeding the other man.

Brainiac looked up sharply, zeroing in on Lois. He stared at her for a few seconds, smiled darkly, and bid the young journalist he was speaking to farewell. He barely made it to the doorframe before he vanished. The man he was talking to didn't look surprised to see him move inhumanly fast.

"Hey!" She yelled to get the attention of the journalist. He was surprisingly young, probably the same age or younger than Chloe had been when she started interning here a few months ago. His dark brown hair reached his shoulders and his clothes looked like they had been carefully picked out at a vintage second hand store. She marched over to his desk and smacked her palm against it. He eyed her with suspicion after the shock of her boldness wore off.

"Can I help you?" He asked, clearly annoyed. She picked up the nameplate that said, Justin Houch and tested the weight of it in her hand. She gave him a look of superiority and placed it back on his small desk.

"The name's Lois Lane," She said. The man arched his eyebrow and waited impatiently for her to continue. "What was Fine telling you?"

"That's really none of your business." Justin snapped.

"Oh, I think it is."

"Really? And why is that?" He squinted at her through his chic, designer glasses. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm a reporter. One who knows Milton Fine a lot better than you do." She said, matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest.

He jumped to his feet, fists clenched. "Who the hell do you think you are, coming up here and trying to scoop my story?"

"I'm not here for your story," She said, glaring at him. "I'm going to be your boss one day and I don't need to steal from other people to do it."

"Well then, what is it that you want?" He sounded exasperated.

"I want to know what Fine is doing. What he's planning."

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you that?"

"Because," She lended in close to him, a triumphant smile on her face. "I know your type. You're hungry for a big story that's going to put your name on that front page. You want the break that's going to get you the hell out of this basement and earn you respect around here. You give me the professor, and I'll give you that headline."

She could see that she had sparked a fire in him. She could see the possibilities whirling around behind his eyes. "What headline?"

"If I told you that, you could probably find it yourself, and that wouldn't be good for me would it?"

"Well it wouldn't be good for me if I gave up my sure-thing over a hunch from a random woman, would it?" He said, mocking her. "I can't trust you to hand over a story, I don't even know you."

"Well, Mr. Houch, your 'sure-thing' is going to be picked up by the U.S. military rather soon." He shot her a look that said he thought she was absolutely crazy. "Do your research on me after I'm gone. You'll see who my father is and why I know so much. But, by then, I'll be long gone and the deal will be off the table."

He stood there, thinking and debating internally. "Can you at least tell me what the headline relates to so I know you're not making this crap up?"

She looked around his desk until she found a sticky note pad and a pen. On it she scribbled down her name and phone number. She handed it to him and said, "Call me if you meet with Fine again and I'll hand you Lex Luthor on a silver platter."

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lana wondered around Jonathan's last campaign party looking for Clark, though she mentally told herself over and over that she wasn't. She was angry and hesitant to talk to him after he stood her up again this morning. When she finally found him, he was coming towards her with a look on his face that she had never seen before.

He didn't say anything when he reached her, he just wrapped her tightly in his arms and buried his face in her hair.

"Don't think I'm going to forgive you that easily." She said, jokingly.

He pulled away from her and stared down at her with panic. He searched her face with wonder and confusion. "Oh! Oh, you mean about our date this morning. I'm sorry about that, Lana."

"It's… not a big deal." She sensed that something was off about Clark. He hummed with nervous energy and stared at her like she was a piece of jewelry in a thief's hand, about to be stolen away forever. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. Not anymore." He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her in the back of the Talon where they were completely alone. He cradled her face in his hands and kissed her, sending warmth through every vein in her body.

"I love you," He said. "I've loved you from the first moment I saw you."

"You're scaring me," She whispered.

"I know," He said. "Lana, I can't bare the thought of losing you, and I know that I am. I can see it in your eyes."

"Clark…" She trailed off.

"It isn't your fault." He reassured her. "You've stayed by my side through so much. You've trusted me, you've loved me, you've forgiven me at times that I didn't deserve it. I've taken more than I could ever give you in return. But, it's time for me to change and I'm finally ready to do it. I have something I need to show you. After the party will you come with me?"

"Where would we go?" She asked, taken aback by his words.

"It's kind of a secret."

"I'm tired of secrets."

"You terrify me, Lana." He confessed. "From that first moment in the graveyard, I've been scared that I'd do or say the wrong thing and you'd run away screaming."

"I would never do that, Clark. You should know that."

"You're right. But I've never been able to shake that feeling. I know we can't go on like this though." He took a shaky breath. Lana took a step towards him and placed her hand on his chest.

"Oh my god, your heart's racing!"

"I've thought about this moment since I was fifteen. I had it planned out so much better a few days ago." He said, in a fast, nervous rant. "I know that if I don't tell you what you mean to me, it will be too late. I just need to know that I'm enough for you."

"Of course you are," She said, with a smile.

"Just me, as I am now?" She nodded. "Would you still love me if I wasn't who you thought I was?"

"What do you mean?"

"Answer me, Lana. Please."

"Are you trying to tell me you robbed a bank or something?" He smirked slightly, then turned serious once more. Lana sighed, then said, "I'd still love you, no matter what you did. I always will. But, that doesn't mean I'll wait around forever. I need you to stop lying to me."

"I'll give you the whole truth this time, I promise."

"I've heard that before."

"I swear, Lana. I'll tell you everything when you come with me. I want to let you in, I just need to know that you love me enough to stay after I do." He dropped to one knee and grabbed her hand. He pulled something out of his suit pocket and presented it to her. A glittering diamond stood out of a small gold band, throwing thousands of tiny rainbows in every direction from his trembling hand. "Lana Lang, I love you with every part of me. Will you marry me?"

Lana was speechless. Before she could consider her answer, the door swung open, letting the sound of the roaring crowd fill the room.

"Clark, you need to get out here. I'm about to announce-" Lois stopped mid-sentence, taking in the scene in front of her. The look of anguish on her face knocked the breath out of Clark. He only thought about running after her once she had vanished, letting the door swing closed behind her.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

The long gravel road leading to the farm was barely visible in the moonlight. Lois couldn't remember how she had ended up on it. She had driven the back roads winding through Smallville for hours, trying to escape her own thoughts. The flat Kansas cornfields were an abyss though, and gave her no shelter to hide in.

She stared at the yellow house without actually seeing it. She couldn't force herself to go in, but she was unable to sit in her car any longer. Stepping out of the car, the frigid air enveloped her, forcing her to feel something for the first time since she had seen Clark down on one knee. She wanted to cry, but something inside her prevented the tears from forming. She was scared, lonely, and trapped in this life that was all wrong. She was living someone else's life.

Lois heard the sound of arguing coming from the barn. She looked around until she spotted Jonathan's truck peeking out from the other side of the barn. The cobalt blue hit Lois with a sudden realization, and she sprinted to the barn.

She barely missed being hit by Lionel Luther's body as it was hurled towards the door. Jonathan shuffled over to them, fists clenched, covered in blood. He pounded his fist into Lionel's face four times while Lois screamed and tried prying him off.

"Stop! Stop! Jonathan stop!" She yelled. "You're going to kill him! You don't want to do that. You're not a killer."

He stilled, his fist frozen in mid-air. He was shaking with anger, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Then he lowered his arm. "Okay."

He backed away from Lionel's crumpled, bleeding body. Lois reached her hand out to him and he began slowly walking towards her. He stopped right as they were outside of the barn and clutched his chest. Lois had already pulled out her phone and began dialing 911 before Jonathan collapsed to the ground. She fell on the ground next to him and began doing chest compressions as she talked on the phone with the emergency dispatcher.

"Stay with me, stay with me." She cried after she was reassured an ambulance was on it's way. She bitterly regretted her thoughts this morning that she should just let her father-in-law die. Now, she was doing everything she could to keep him alive. _Please, God don't let him die in my arms, _she thought.

She heard the wail of the sirens coming down the dirt road and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She didn't stopped giving Jonathan CPR until the EMTs pushed her out of the way. She climbed into the back of the ambulance and shut her eyes tightly as they raced to Smallville Medical Center.

0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

It had taken every ounce of strength Clark had to not leave his mother and Lana behind when they had entered the hospital doors. A sense of foreboding had driven him to nearly take off at super speed when they had gotten Lois's call. Jor-el had warned him that he would face the consequences of using that crystal to go back and save Lana, and now his father was in the ICU, barely hanging on.

Leaving Chloe and Lana to comfort Martha, he went off to find Lois. He found her sitting on a bench across from the vending machines with her head in her hands. He sat down beside her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him slowly, her cheeks stained with mascara.

"Lois, I-" He broke off. Her couldn't think of how to express all the things she wanted to say to her. "Thank you."

"What have I done?" She asked, staring hard at the floor. It didn't sound like she was asking why he was thanking her, but rather asking what terrible thing she had caused.

"What? Lois, are you okay?"

"I was so furious with you this morning." She looked up at him in disbelief. "Because I couldn't see things clearly."

"I know. I want to apologize for how I treated you. I'm sorry, Lois. I know that you just want what's best for me and our family. I shouldn't have taken out my guilt on you."

"No, Clark. I just couldn't see before that you did what you were supposed to do. I'm the one that's changed everything. Anything that happens will be my fault." She stood up and backed away from him.

"What do you mean, Lois? You're the reason my father isn't dead. You saved him."

"Go be with your family, Smallville. They need you more than I do."

He almost followed her, but thought better of it. He didn't turn towards the Intensive Care wing until she was completely out of sight.

Lois walked to the parking lot, not realizing until she got there that she didn't have her car with her. Shivering against she cold, she pulled out her cell phone and called a taxi. Ten minutes later she saw the cab pull into the far end of the parking lot. Rolling her eyes she made her way through the darkness.

Her phone buzzed and she checked the text. It said "Found info on Fine. Call ASAP. -JH" She smile at the screen. So, the young reporter had been worth her time. She was in the middle of calling him when she felt a presence behind her. She pulled her elbow back to strike the figure, but he dogged it. She panicked as he put her in a choke-hold. She struggled against him with everything she had. Bit it didn't matter how hard she fought. There was nothing she could do to win this fight, she realized as her eyes clouded into blackness.


	21. Chapter 19

**_Hello my lovely readers! Let me first start by apologizing for how long it's been taking me to update this story. I promise I will work harder and devote more time to faster updates! This is a shorter chapter, but enjoy and please let me know what you think! :)_**

_Lois sat at her desk in the Daily Planet, reading through her hate mail. Her article on Lex had gotten some mixed reactions from the people of Metropolis. She had two large piles on the floor next to Clark's desk, one filled with admiration from people who thanked her for having the balls to go against Luther and the other from his supporters, some even threatening to kill her. Reading through them turned into an inside joke to her. She had a secret weapon and she would love to see one of those people go up against Clark. _

_Clark stumbled into the room, pushing his glasses back into place. Lois glanced up at him, and stopped herself from making fun of his nerdy disguise. He set his bag down and looked at what she was reading._

"_More mail, huh?" He said in a disapproving voice. _

"_I've only pulled six death threats from this pile." She smiled. "Oh, make that seven." _

"_Geez, it's almost like you're proud of them. I still don't think you're as concerned as you should be." _

"_Don't get your panties in a knot, Smallville. They're the same idiots that elected him into office in the first place, and I don't think they'll do anything other than call me names on the internet." _

"_I just don't want anything to happen to you." He lowered his voice. "I can't be everywhere at once." _

"_You're never going to accept the fact that I can take care of myself, are you?" _

_He rolled his eyes at her and got to work at his desk. They had fallen into a comfortable rhythm over the past week. Now that Lois knew where he disappeared to at all hours of the night and Clark didn't have to make up crafty lies on the spot, he relaxed a bit. Taking nonverbal cues from his father, even Jase seemed more at ease around Lois, spending their evenings curled up on her lap. It shocked Lois how easily everything fell into place once she understood the missing part of her own life. _

_Someone knocked on the door, causing Clark to spill his coffee all over the floor. The handsome delivery boy poked his head in before either of them told him to come in. His eyes shot to Lois who had gotten on her knees to help Clark with the spill. _

"_Lois Lane?" He asked, offering her a hand to help stand. The smile on his face was one Lois recognized well._

"_Got something for me?" She asked, straightening her skirt. _

"_I have a package for you, Miss Lane." He handed her his clipboard to get a signature. Clark's head shot up, not ignorant to the double-meaning in his words. He glared at the man while mopping up the coffee he had knocked over on purpose. _

"_Well can I have it?" She asked after a few seconds of staring at the guy. He handed her a large envelope._

"_I read your article. I thought it was amazing how you forced Luthor into the spotlight like that." _

"_Well thank you." Lois said. "You probably just handed me fifty more hate letters though."_

"_They're insane then," He said, with an even wider smile. "I'd love to hear more about it, sometime. Over drinks, maybe?" _

_Clark stood up, towering over delivery man. There was no stuttering, no shyness or awkwardness when he said, "She's married." _

_The man looked back and forth between Lois and Clark, connecting the dots. He was no longer smiling as he got an eye-full of Clark. "I...um, sorry. I didn't see a ring or anything." _

_He left the room quickly, not daring to look back at Lois. She put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side, letting Clark know that he was in trouble. _

"_What?" He asked, innocently._

"_How very _Clark Kent _of you," She said sarcastically. He was surprised, expecting her to be angry about their marriage again. "You might as well have taken off your glasses and flung your cape at him!" _

_He looked at her with a mildly guilty expression. "Well, I-" _

_A flash of brown hair and pale limbs whirled past their door, skidded to a halt and turned back around to knock. Jimmy Olsen was practically bouncing on his heels as he poked a head into their office. _

"_Chief wants to talk to you guys," He said, scurrying away without waiting for them to reply. Lois looked to Clark for an answer to Jimmy's odd behavior, but he just shrugged his shoulders and held the door open for her. They walked to Perry's office side-by-side, their hands bumping into each other. _

_Perry was screaming, as always, at his reporters. Their heads hung low as they took the lecture in silence. He spotted Lois and Clark, turning his attention to them. _

"_Lane!" He shouted, even though she was five feet from him. "These idiots have just told me that Luthor has called a press conference to discuss the information your article. I want you go to." _

"_Okay," Lois said, a smile spreading across her face. _

"_Mr. White, sir, I'm not sure that's the best idea with all the backlash Lois's article is getting." Clark said softly, pushing his glasses back up. Lois whirled around around at him in disbelief. _

"_Stay out of it," She hissed. _

"_If Lois doesn't want to risk it, I'll go." Cat Grant said, brightly. When Lois heard that, she attempted to elbow Clark, but he caught her arm, worried that she would hurt herself. _

"_Lane's going if I say she's going!" Perry snapped. "People are pissed off and that kind of emotion gets attention. Her follow up article might even boost ratings." _

_Perry said this as if he was teaching a room full of first graders the basic rules to reporting. He continued. "Lane, I want you on a plane to D.C. this afternoon. I want you to hound Luthor until he gives you a comment and I don't care what you have to do to get it." _

"_Aye-aye, chief!" She saluted him and was out the door before he could turn his wrath on her for using that nickname. _

_O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Clark found Oliver waiting for him on the roof of the Daily Planet. Clark, donned in his suit, closed the space between them. He saw that Oliver could barely contain a grin. _

"_What is it?" He asked, crossing his arms. _

"_I saw your wife knocking people out of the way to leave the building. I guess she really wanted to get away from you." Oliver laughed. _

"_Where's Jon?" He asked, not amused. "I was supposed to meet him here." _

"_He ran into an unexpected guest and he told me to give you this." Oliver tossed a circular metal disk to him. Clark rolled it around in his hand, seeing Kryptonian symbols etched into the side. He would have to take it to the fortress to see what was on it. "What is it?"_

"_Information that will help me get Lois back where she belongs." _

_Oliver nodded. "It's time to set things right, Clark" _

_O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Lois had her suitcase open on her bed and was shoving clothes into it as fast as possible. She didn't even notice Clark enter the room behind her. He stood completely still, watching her ponytail swayed back and forth as she rushed around the room. The faint ink marks on her fingers and the way she muttered to herself made him forget, just for a moment, that she wasn't his Lois yet and she didn't love him. _

"_Jesus, Smallville!" She shrieked when she found him leaning against the doorframe. "Knock or something next time." _

"_Sorry," He said with a smile. "When are you leaving?" _

"_My plane leaves at eight. You'll have to pick up Jase from Chloe's tonight." She gave him a stern look. "And don't be late. I'm serious. Don't think you're going to fly off and leave my kid there just because I won't be here." _

_Clark laughed. _

"_What?" She snapped._

"_We've grown on you. Admit it." _

_She glared at him and turned back to packing. He swallowed hard and tried to steady his nerves before grabbing her wrist gently. She looked up at him with her beautiful hazel eyes, and raised her eyebrows, asking a silent question while trying to figure him out. Looking at her then, he realized that he wanted her to fall in love with him all over again. Since the beginning of this time-travel nightmare, all he could think about was getting his wife back. His Lois. But now he realized that he wanted to watch her feelings for him change, the way her whole face would light up when she saw him before she realized that it was geeky Clark Kent that she was throwing that smile at. How many men get that chance? _

"_I was thinking about what happened this morning, you know, with that UPS guy." _

"_Oh?"_

"_And how he didn't know you were married." He stood a little straighter and squared his shoulders. He pulled the black velvet box from his pocket and offered it to her. She took it from him and opened it, gasping as she pulled the diamond ring out. _

"_You're proposing to me…?" The shock on her face made his heart skip a beat. She didn't look angry. _

"_How can I propose if we're already married?" He teased. She studied the ring, turning it at different angles to catch the light. "It's exactly like the one I gave you. When that guy mentioned that he didn't see a ring, I realized that of course you wouldn't have it, my Lois never would have taken it off. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to wear that one." _

_She stared up at him, with a blank expression. He could tell her mind was racing. She slipping the ring onto her finger and held her hand out to test the feel of it. She stood very still for a solid thirty seconds before taking it back off and putting it back in the box._

"_Can I think about it?" She asked, quietly. _

"_Of course." He said. He left the room, but not before glancing back and seeing her pause before returning to her frantic packing. He smiled to himself. That woman never did what he was expecting her to do. She hadn't screamed that he was insane or tried to hit him. It was progress. _

_O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_Lois sat in her cab holding that stupid box in her hands. She was furious. Why did Clark have to complicate things? Why did she have to end up in the future and deal with all of these feelings? Why couldn't she put the damn ring away? She couldn't believe she was entertaining the thought of wearing it or of not hating being married to an overgrown boy scout. _

_But as much as she cursed and huffed, she couldn't make herself take the ring off her finger and put it back in her bags. She should've left it on their nightstand, but she just couldn't leave it at their apartment. _

_She finally looked up after a few minutes of the taxi being at a standstill on the interstate. They were in the center lane and completely boxed in. That was just great. She could actually see the airport outside her window._

"_Hey, hey, what's this?" Her driver shouted, beating both hands on the wheel. Masked men, at least a half a dozen of them, had gotten out of the cars beside them and were approaching the vehicle. Lois tensed, fear gripped her insides. She knew what was coming and she was trapped. _

_One of the men yanked her door open and tried to grab for her but she kicked him hard in the stomach. Another had circled around to the opposite side and was preparing to go in after her. Her driver had reached for a gun under the seat._

"_No!" Lois shouted. It was too late. Shattered glass flew everywhere and blood showered the right side of the car. The driver slumped over dead in his seat, with the bullet still in his head. Lois was pulled out of the car by her hair and felt the cool metal of the gun pressed against her jaw. _

"_What the hell do you want?" She spat, willing the tears not to fall from her eyes. A fist flew out and hit her hard in the ribs. One of them cracked loudly. She gasped for breath, but did not cry out. _

"_Did you really think your lies would have no consequences, bitch?" The man who was holding the gun to her head whispered. Then it clicked for her. This was about the article. This was about Lex. She wished she had taken those threats seriously. _

_A man with orange eyebrows came forward and slapped her hard enough to make her ears ring. He pulled his hand back to hit her again and then disappeared before her eyes. She and the men around her looked around but did not see him. The pressure on her neck from the gun biting into her skin vanished too. That's when Lois knew. _

_She was in Clark's arms, and they were flying off before she could fully appreciate that she was going to be saved. He glanced down at her will concern written all over his face. Lois noticed the fury he was trying to hide behind his eyes. _

"_Hey, stranger." She said with a grin. He rolled his eyes. _

"_How is it that you find a way to make a joke every time you nearly get killed?" He sighed. _

"_It's kind of nice having a personal super-human bodyguard." She said, smugly. _

"_Lois…" He had begun to give her another lecture about how he couldn't always be there to rescue her, but he saw on the arm that wrapped around his neck the sparkle of the ring he gave her. She was wearing it after all. _

"_Yeah, but don't get all sappy on me now, okay?" She said, and then flashed him the most brilliant smile. _


	22. Chapter 20

**Hello lovely people! I'm going to apologize again for being such a slow writer and I really hope y'all don't hate me at this point. As always, enjoy and let me know what you think :)**

**WARNING! The first part of this chapter is graphic and might be a trigger for some people. If you are worried about this, skip the beginning and start after the first set of bubbles.**

Lois coughed, launching water all over the floor. She gasped for breath, her throat on fire and her lungs aching. Her blood dripped into the metal tub beneath her. She greedily sucked in oxygen as the man grasping a fist full of her hair jerked her back to look at him.

"Let's try this again," He sighed, clearly bored with it all. "Tell me about Clark Kent."

She shivered violently as the cold water ran down her body. She was in an empty warehouse, probably on the outskirts of Metropolis. The broken old pipes ran the length of the ceiling, leaving a musky smell and dozens of rats would run from their nests every time she screamed. It was a dungeon, specifically set up to hurt someone. Just glancing around the room would be enough to make most people talk.

The man's dark eyes watched Lois expectantly, almost like he wanted her to resist him. She obliged, remaining silent and glaring at him.

"Keep it up sweetheart," He laughed. "You and I have an unlimited amount of time to spend with each other."

He shoved her head back under the freezing water. She kicked out and clawed at his hands, but he was too strong to buck off. She had nearly passed out before he pulled her back to the surface. Everytime he waited just long enough to where she truly believed she was going to die this time, before allowing her to breathe again.

He threw her to the ground so hard her head bounced on the floor. She lost consciousness for a few seconds before opening her eyes to find him studying her.

"What's going to break you, hmm? You are a tough one, I'll give you that. But it's not just you, is it?" He nudged her stomach with the toe of his boot. He walked over to a tray beside a medical examination table and picked up a scalpel. He knelt beside her and tested the weight of it in his hand, flashing it just inches from her face. "I can get the truth out of you, or cut that baby out of you. It's your choice which comes first."

"No!" She screamed. It was the first word she had said to him. "Please, stop."

He smiled. He had touched her weakness, felt the desperation in her voice vibrate through him. He slide the blade under her ribs with gentle pressure, a warning cut. But she didn't flinch, the knife didn't mark her skin. Curious, he cut her again,much harder. Still, he remained unharmed.

"What the fuck?" He muttered. He moved to her thigh and cut again. She gasped at the wound he gave her, which was deep enough to require stitches.

"Gavin," A voice commanded from the shadows. Lois's tormentor stood up and vanished. Even in a haze of pain she recognized who was speaking.

They talked in whispers for a few minutes before Gavin came back towards her. She felt what was in his hands from yards away. She hadn't even seen the green glow before she began to scream.

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lana and Martha were talking in low whispers as they sat in Jonathan's hospital room. Clark listened to the beeping of the machines and tried to ignore them. He wondered where they would go from here when his father opened his eyes.

"Jonathan!" Martha howled, throwing herself onto the bed. He winced, but wrapped his arms around him, pulling her tighter. She weeped against him. "I thought I had lost you."

"I know, sweetheart," He said, kissing her hair. "I know."

Clark joined the pair, wrapping an arm around his mother and breathed a sigh of relief. Everything that was important to him was almost ripped away in just a matter of two days. Lana reached down and grabbed Clark's hand, squeezing gently. He looked up and flashed a smile at his future wife. He couldn't wait until everything had settled down and they could tell his parents about their engagement.

"I'm so glad you're going to be okay dad," Clark said.

"I am too, son." Jonathan replied. He looked around the room then. "Where's Lois?"

"I'm not sure," He admitted. "But I'll go find her for you."

Jonathan nodded and Clark left the room. He pulled out his cell phone and began to dial Chloe's number. As he turned the corner he smacked into someone.

"Oh, sorry-" He began, then realized who it was. "Chloe, hey!"

"Have you seen Lois?" She asked, straightening her shirt. "I've been looking for her all day. I waited for her at the farm last night but she never came. So I figured she stayed here, but Lana said she left hours ago."

He frowned and calculated in his head. No one had seen Lois in over fifteen hours. "Let's head to the Talon and see if she's there."

During the drive to the coffee shop, Chloe tried to call Lois again.

"Anything?" Clark asked as he pulled the truck into the parking lot.

"It went straight to voicemail. I swear it rang ten minutes ago."

"It probably died Chloe."

"Or someone cut it off." She replied, quietly.

The Talon was closed, with streamers and confetti still littering the floor. They climbed the stairs in silence and when they found the apartment untouched and empty, Clark became worried.

"She was so strange last night," He said, running a hand through his hair. "You don't think she would try to leave Smallville again do you?"

"I don't think so. Let's head to the Planet incase she went to Metropolis. We can track her phone."

When they arrived, Chloe sat at her small desk typing furiously while Clark leaned over her to read from her screen.

"Got it!" Chloe said, pointing to a pinprick on the computer. She immediately jumped up. "Let's go."

"Chloe, why don't I run over there real quick and then come back to let you know. Just in case." She reluctantly agreed and then he was gone.

What he found was not at all what he had expected. Her cell phone was on the side of the highway, thirty miles outside of the city. There was no other sign of her. No tire tracks or footprints. The only way it could have gotten there was to have been thrown out of the window of a moving car. Clark realized that someone didn't want Lois to be found, but whether or not it was Lois herself, he didn't know. He raced back to Chloe and gently laid the phone on her desk before explaining what he saw.

"Oh my God," Chloe whispered, not taking her eyes off the phone.

"What do you…" He trailed off, noticing the reporter Lois hassled yesterday, talking dramatically with his hands.

"She's a real source." The man insisted. "I did a background check on her. Something terrible must have happened to her for her not to return my call."

"Justin, lower your voice," The woman he was talking to whispered. If Clark hadn't been using his super-hearing he would have missed it. "Do you realize who you're messing with? Who these people are? If you instantly suspect this woman has been kidnapped just because you haven't spoken to her in a few hours, that tells you right there that this whole thing is a bad idea. You should let it go."

"Marcy," He argued, but she put up a hand to stop him.

"I don't want any part of it."

"What's the point of being a journalist then?" He huffed under his breath.

Clark strode over to him and asked, "What story is Lois giving you?"

"And who the hell are you? Her boyfriend or something?"

Clark grabbed the reporter roughly by the shirt, jerking him close. "She's been missing since yesterday and you're one of the last people she talked to. If something bad happens to her, I will hold you responsible unless you tell me everything you know."

"You'll keep this between us though right?" Justin waited for Clark's response, but it didn't come. "She wanted information about one of my contacts, Milton Fine. And in exchange she'd give me dirt on Lex Luthor."

"And what did you find? What were you going to tell her last night?"

"Fine has been renting out a warehouse, under a fake name of course, but he's been stockpiling something. The boxes say it's roofing supplies, but I had my doubts. Last night I paid one of the drivers to open a box and there were no shingles, just a bunch of hospital lab equipment and a small case of these really rare meteor rocks that are only found in a town called Smallville. And this place was deserted man, like the kind of place you know someone wants to have their privacy. So I figured Lois and I would go investigate it tonight, but she never answered."

"I need that address." Clark said.

"Fine, I'll give it to you on one condition. That I come too."

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Clark, and Chloe walked around to the back of the building Justin had pointed out. They were right on the edge of Suicide Slums and every warehouse looked to be on the brink of collapse.

"I still haven't figured out why you agreed to bring him with us." Chloe hissed as Clark broke the lock on the fence. They had sent Justin around the corner to look for another way inside.

"I needed the address quickly and the guy reminds me of Lois. He would have followed us anyway. Besides, we might need his help."

"_Him_?" Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"He said Brainiac was keeping Kryptonite in there, which means he's trying to keep me out. I don't want you to be trapped in there alone if anything happens to me."

Chloe nodded, then called out, "Justin!"

He ran over, face flushed from the cold. "Oh, hey, how'd you get that open?"

"I picked the lock." Chloe said quickly, before Clark could say something about it being rusty.

They entered the building with Clark taking the lead. The deeper they went into the warehouse, the colder and dirtier it became. Beside him Chloe let out a shriek and pointed her flashlight to the ground.

"Rats?" Justin asked.

"Blood," She whispered. "There's blood on the floor."

Clark took off at a sprint, with Chloe and Justin struggling to follow along. "Lois?" He called. "Lois!"

The pain crept up on him, slowing him, but panic pushed him forward. He feared that where he found the Kryptonite, he would find Lois and it would be the one thing that could keep him from her. He didn't make it but few more yards before he gasped and grabbed the nearest wall, so weak he was forced onto his knees. That's when he saw her hand.

"Chloe!" They inched forward, stopped dead in their tracks from what was in front of them. Clark looked up at Justin and pleaded, "Get her out of here!"

Lois lay curled on her side, trying to shield her stomach, which was streaked with vivid, dark green, away from the chunk of rock sitting beside her. She didn't make a sound as Justin picked her naked, broken body up from the cold ground.

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Clark sat in the hospital waiting room for the second night in a row. He prayed silently, with his head in his hands. His father had just barely escaped death and now he would lose Lois.

"Mr. Kent?" Clark's head snapped up to find Dr. Hamilton standing above him, a solemn look on his face.

"What is it? Tell me."

"I'll be honest with you, her condition is critical. With the severity of her injuries, there is not much we can do for her."

"There's _something_ you can do. There has to be!"

"Miss Lane is a strong woman." Emil said. "If it weren't for that fact, she would not be hanging on at all. We are going to try and relieve some of the pressure from her brain, but beyond that, it's in God's hands."

An idea came to Clark so strong it nearly choked him. "Take my blood. Give it to her and it might be able to save her."

Emil didn't react to his strange request, he simply thought for a moment, then nodded. "I assume you'll want to keep this private?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to send Miss Lane for surgical prep and then I'll meet you in room 315 in ten minutes."

Ten minutes later Clark sat in the room with a lead box containing a sliver of kryptonite. Emil entered with a small kit to take his blood. As he opened the box and let the doctor take a pint of blood from his shaking arm, it occurred to him that he was entrusting his secret with a man he had only met once briefly. And he realized he didn't care as long as it kept Lois alive.

"Save her." He said to the doctor before he raced down the hallway. He broke down then. "Just save her."

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

Lois was hooked up to machines, unable to breathe on her own. Her bruises were fading already, but her vitals hadn't changed. She lay in stark contrast to Lana, who stood in the doorway, snowflakes melting in her hair.

Clark stood and walked over to her as she closed the door. He couldn't find any words to say to her. She had a look on her face that he couldn't decipher as she wrapped her arms around him. She held him for what seemed like hours and let him bury his face in her neck. She didn't even flinch when his tears hit her chest. When she finally pulled away, she wiped his tears away and handed him her engagement ring.

He clenched it in his fist so hard he was sure it had turned to sparkling dust. "What does this mean?"

"I heard you earlier in the hallway with that doctor, begging him to bring Lois back. And I realized something. You love her and I don't want to be the thing that's standing in your way."

"No, I don't Lana. I love you, I always have."

"You love me Clark, but you're in love with Lois. We've been drifting apart for months now and we both know it. If you and I are meant to be together, we'll find our way back to each other. But right now, she needs you. She needs your light and your strength to pull her through. Don't think it's not hard for me, because it's the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm devastated. But I care about you enough to allow you to explore those feelings without feeling like you have obligations to me." She brushed her tears away and kissed him gently before leaving the room.

Cat sat back down, letting the events of the last few hours sink in. The future he had just gained with Lana was gone. His father had escaped death and now Lois lay dying. Lois had been keeping a secret and he was terrified that he might have figured it out. Was Jor-el going to take Lois from him because he loved her?

Suddenly Lois's heart monitor picked up. He realized as she opened her hazel eyes that he knew the answer.


	23. Chapter 21

**_Hello lovely people. Please don't hate me, I've been incredibly busy on top of writer's block, but I pinky promise I'll finish! As always, let me know what you think :)_**

"_That was a great speech, Mr. President." A secret service agent said to Lex as his party made its way to a bunker beneath the White House. _

"_Thank you, Thompson." He said, fixing the cuffs of his sleeves. Lex had just finished addressing the nation about how terrorism, both foreign and domestic, will not be tolerated by his administration. He had not planned on Lois Lane being attacked on the highway, but it had been a stroke of luck, almost a gift to him. It was just another incident that strengthened his agenda and would make his plans run more smoothly. _

_Lex sat at the head of a long table in the middle of the room. His security stood on either side of the closed door and were instructed to only allow two men into the room. David Scott entered the room, looking behind his shoulder twice before sitting down. He slowly slid a folder over to Lex, who picked it up and leafed through it, frowning. _

"_This is all of it?" Lex asked. _

"_All I could find out. Communists aren't known for leaving top secret information lying around." Scott said, picking imaginary dirt out of his nails. _

_Lex's frown deepened. "It's not enough." _

_The second man Lex was expecting entered the room. He didn't look back like Scott had, but looked around as if he was completely unimpressed. He nodded at Lex, but didn't bother to even glance at Scott. _

"_Parker, welcome." Lex said. The man didn't sit down. Lex stood and handed him a grainy black and white photo. "That is Sarah Abboud. Her father, Muhammad, owns the sixth largest oil reserve in the world. He is also extremely uncooperative. I need you to kidnap her, and then perhaps Muhammad will be more willing to see our side." _

"_And if he does not?" Parker asked. His voice was somewhat of a shock to Scott, who had never met him. He never expected a man so menacing, with such cold eyes, to have a voice so soft and quiet. It was unnerving. _

"_I was hoping you would ensure that he wouldn't even consider refusing my offer."_

_A slow smile spread across the man's face. "Of course." _

"_And I'll want daily reports from the time you enter the country until I receive word from Muhammad that I have his support. I'll wire the money into your account then or at proof of disposal." Parker nodded at Lex's word, seeming pleased with himself. _

_Lex turned back to Scott. Scott didn't like the glint in his eye. "And you need to get caught."_

"_What?" Scott asked, stunned. _

"_You're going to get caught with the information I send you to get." _

"_They'll kill me!" He protested. _

"_No, not kill. Perhaps torture, but don't worry. I'll get you back on U.S. soil before you're executed." _

"_Don't worry?" He repeated. _

"_That's what I said." Lex replied cooly. _

"_But- but why?" Scott searched the room for an exit. He doubted he would get very far._

"_We're going to start a war, gentlemen." _

_O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

_There was chaos at the Queen house. The children were screaming. Robbie and Jase had gotten into an argument over whose turn it was to have control of the remote. The result was a smashed remote and a two ton china cabinet knocked to the ground. The noise from the crash terrified little Charlotte and there was no calming her down. _

_Oliver started walking up the stairs with her on his hip, singing goofy songs over her wailing. The boys had made up and were running around the house, ignoring Chloe's pleas that they take it outside. She made a beeline to the kitchen and poured herself a large glass of wine. She enjoyed a moment of temporary silence before her computer went crazy. Bells and sirens went off and pictures flashed on the screen, one after the other. She rushed over to it, typing as fast as her hands would allow. _

_Ollie came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I finally got Charlie in her crib. What's going on?"_

"_I don't believe it," She muttered, not paying the least bit of attention to her husband. _

"_Chloe," He said a little louder. "What is it?" _

"_Parker Thorne is back in the country." _

"_Who?"_

"_He's a hitman who's banned from the United States. My facial recognition system picked up and image of him in D.C." Chloe took another sip from her glass before turning to face Oliver. _

"_D.C., huh? So it's probably safe to assume that our President knows he's in town?" Ollie sat in the chair beside her and studied the man on the screen. _

"_My guess is that Lex helped smuggle him into the country. Thorne has to be close to the top of the No-Fly list." _

"_Why do you think that?" He asked. _

"_Well," Chloe said, sheepishly. "I've been sort of monitoring Lex for the past few months." _

"_Actual monitoring or end-up-on-a-watchlist-monitoring?"_

_Chloe shot him a guilty smile. "He's up to something Ollie. Something terrible." _

_Oliver gave her a look like he was about to scold her. "What's the deal with this Thorne guy?"_

"_Over two hundred confirmed kills and they weren't pretty. It seems he has a knack for torture. He's the very definition of 'bad guy'" _

"_Print out a picture of him," Oliver said, standing up. "We'll tell Clark about it when they come to pick up Jase." _

_O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O_

"_I don't see what the big deal is." Lois said, throwing her bag down on the kitchen counter. After having dinner with Chloe, Oliver, and their kids, the three Kents finally arrived back at their apartment. It was way past Jase's bedtime, but he was running in circles around the living room. _

"_You don't see the big deal in an international terrorist entering the country?" Clark raised his eyebrows. _

"_I mean not so much that you have to bolt out of here tonight." She turned away from him, but Clark could see the faintest hint of a pout on her face. _

"_I guess it can wait until tomorrow. You'll just have to cover for me at the office." He said. Lois looked back and flashed him a big smile before she could stop herself. His heart skipped a beat. _

"_Jase?" Clark called. When he received no answer, Lois placed a hand gently on his arm and then put a finger up to her lips to shush him._

"_Robbie reminded him of hide-and-seek the other day," She whispered. "He's trying to play with us." _

_Clark nodded, then spoke loudly. "I wonder where he could be."_

"_I have no idea." Lois said, in an equally loud tone. She began to dramatically look around the room. A muffled giggle sounded from somewhere behind the couch. "Maybe he's under the table or in the kitchen." _

"_Maybe he's on top of the bookshelf." Clark said. Lois punched him on the arm and gave him a look that said "don't give the kid any ideas." _

_Lois continued to call out random hiding spots while she inched closer to the couch. In one quick move she peeked behind the couch and said, "Gotcha!" But before she could reach out and grab him, he was gone. She whirled around and found him struggling, but squealing with laughter in Clark's arms. _

_Lois put her hands on her hips. "Jase, you're not playing very fair with mommy." _

_He shot her a frightened look. "I'm sorry, mama." _

"_It's okay." She ruffled his dark curls beneath her fingers. "How about you and I team up while daddy goes to hide?" He raised his tiny eyebrow and gave her a look that resembled her own so much that she couldn't help but laugh. "I promise daddy will play fair. He's not allowed to leave the house."_

"_You start counting." Clark said as he backed out of the room. Jase began counting, but Lois finished as he had trouble after the number seven. Fifteen seconds was more than enough time for Clark find a place to hide, but he was standing visible and tense in the hallway. _

"_Found you!" Jase screamed as he ran for his father's legs. _

"_What's wrong?" Lois asked him. _

"_There's been a bombing…" He trailed off, his mouth pressing into a hard line. _

"_Is anyone hurt?" She asked, trying to pull Jase off of Clark, which was nearly impossible considering he didn't want to let go. "Jase, calm down."_

_Clark didn't answer. "I have to go." Lois nodded. She wasn't going to argue about this one. He took a few steps towards her but stopped when his phone began to ring. He turned and walked about of the room to answer it. _

_She could hear his incoherent mumbling of the words "right now," "at the exact same time" and "distraction." Then he said very clearly, "Of course I'm going to Portland, that's the priority." _

_She walked into the kitchen behind him with Jase settled on her hip. Clark snapped the phone shut. Lois didn't ask him for details. Instead she said, "Kiss daddy goodnight." _

_Clark took Jase from her and hugged him tight, inhaling the scent of his baby shampoo. They exchanged their goodnights then Clark put him down. Jase ran into the living room, and the same time Clark turned to Lois and took a step closer to her. _

"_I don't have a lot of time, in fact I really shouldn't be doing this now, but Lois I have to tell you how much tonight means to me. The three of us acting like a family again, I mean."_

"_I know," Lois said, with a smile. "Go."_

_Without another word he vanished, off to save the world. For a split second Lois felt her insignificance compared to Clark, but she quickly tossed the thought aside. Their little family mattered and it was enough. _

"_Come on, kiddo, time for bed." She told Jase._

"_I wanna play." He looked up at her with sad eyes. On any other night she would have refused and put him to bed, but she just wasn't ready to part with him. _

"_Okay, one more game and then we're going to sleep." He shot her a big, goofy grin. She placed her hands over her eyes. "One...two….three...four-"_

_The sound of breaking glass echoed through the room. She rushed over to the bookshelf where Jase had climbed half-way up. A picture frame lay face down on the floor. He began to cry and Lois scanned over him for cuts and blood before she realized that he wasn't hurt, he was just frightened. _

"_It's okay, I'm not mad." She picked him up and placed him on the floor. "Stay there so I can clean it up." _

_She returned with a broom and dustpan and crouched down to gingerly pick the frame up. The photo inside was another wedding picture. Clark and Lois stood together surrounded by their parents. But it had changed since the last time she had glanced at it. Impossibly, there on the left was Jonathan Kent, alive and well wearing a tuxedo and a brilliant smile. She ran her finger over the photo. Her heart was pounding hard in her chest. She had to call Clark. _

_A gasp sounded behind her and when she turned to look, she was met with the sight of a stranger. His violent green eyes stayed locked with hers as he reached out and put a hand on Jase's chest. Before she could react, a flash of purple filled the room. And then Jase was gone_


	24. Chapter 22

**I'm so sorry again that it has taken me so long to update. I'll try to be more on top of things from now on. As always enjoy and let me know what you think! **

**Trigger warning for this chapter! Read at your own discretion. **

Clark Kent was the most powerful man on Earth. He able to accomplish things that most people could never even dream of. Yet in this moment, he was powerless. There was nothing he could do to keep her from the pain. He couldn't save her from this.

He stood in the hospital corridor, looking through her window. His hands were balled by his side, his jaw clenched tightly. Emil had switched the machine off before ducking out of her room. Her hospital gown remained bunched up under her breasts. Her stomach was exposed, vulnerable. She made no move to wipe the gel off of it.

His mother wrapped her arms around Lois, pulling her close. It was then that Lois began to weep. Her body was racked with sobs that could be heard from down the hall. Martha rubbed small circles on her back to comfort her. There was no need for Clark to listen. He knew exactly what his mother was saying to her. She had lost a baby too after all.

He turned away and stormed out of the hospital. Someone was going to pay for what had been done to her, what they had taken from her. And they would pay in blood.

Without thinking about it, he ended up at the warehouse where they found her. It was taped off by the police, but he stepped through it. It wasn't a problem to find the spot where she had lain on the cold floor. The fluorescent lights flickered above him. Her blood and torn bits of clothing littered the ground. Over and over again he saw it, a picture of what had been done to her in this room. He stared, unblinking, at the same spot for a full minute.

He picked up the medical table and threw it across the room. It wasn't nearly heavy enough to satisfy him. In a blind fury he smashed concrete pillars. Four, then five, then six. If he kept it up, the entire building would collapse. But he wanted it gone. He wanted to tear it down brick by brick, as if the absence of the structure could erase what happened inside of it. Then suddenly, he knew what he had to do. Find Brainiac.

Before he fully realized what he was going to do, he was running back to Smallville. He didn't know if he'd ever been to the cornfield where he found himself, but it didn't matter whose crops they belonged to. He would burn down every acre if he had to.

When he was done, he jumped up to admire his work. Scorched in the middle of the field was a Kryptonian word that could be seen from miles away. The word was battle.

He waited for over an hour, barely moving and counting each breath. He was going to be ready. So when he heard someone moving through the stalks of corn, he pounced, grabbing Brainiac and hoisting him into the air. Except that it wasn't him, it was Chloe, kicking her legs out and trying to pry his hands from her throat. He put her down immediately.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, too surprised to apologize.

"Looking for you," She answered, massaging the bruises that were beginning to form on her neck. "What were you thinking, making crop circles while Lois is fighting for her life in the hospital?"

He turned away from her, looking for something to throw. "I'm trying to find the person who hurt her."

"Anyone can see this, Clark. Do you really want someone like Lex to start investigating it?"

"You need to get out of here, Chloe. It's not safe for you."

"He's not coming, Clark. He's not going to just come out and face you. He's too smart for that."

"You don't know anything about it!" He shouted.

"I know that you're out here in the middle of nowhere looking for a fight to avoid facing Lois."

He whirled around on her, so angry he was shaking. But before he could tell her off, his fury dissolved. He was looking at Chloe, but not seeing her. He was remembering a black haired boy who was pretending to read the newspaper. A boy who wanted to be just like his father.

Then he was crying. Loud sobs shook his entire body, leaving him gasping for breath. He felt Chloe's arms wrap around him. She was holding him as tightly as she could.

"How could he do this?" Clark moaned.

"Fine is evil," She said. "And Lois was fighting against him."

"No," Clark pulled away from her. "Not him."

"Who-" She began to ask, but the piece of his jacket she had been clinging on to was already ripped from her hands and he was gone.

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

The ice around him glittered in the sun like a thousand diamonds. He wondered why he just noticed how beautiful it was now, on what would probably be his last time in the fortress.

"Jor-El!" He screamed into the ceiling.

"Yes, my son?" The voice answered.

"Don't ever call me that again!" Clark screamed. "How could you? How could you try to take her away from me? How could you kill her child?"

"Human life is fragile." He answered. "You knew a life would be exchanged for yours."

"Don't make her pay for my mistake." Clark pleaded. "If I had just brought her to you- if I had just done what she asked- she wouldn't have been hurt. Don't take her child away from her because of me."

"What life has been taken hasn't been taken from Lois Lane, but from you."

Clark froze and a million memories hit him at once. Lois's triumphant smile after she dunked him into a pool. Her reluctantly agreeing to be his friend. The first time she called him "Smallville." The way she tied his tie before he graduated. When she accused him of being jealous of Arthur Curry. The mortified look she shot him when she was half-naked and on stage. How she looked at him when she first returned to the past. His panic when he realized she was planning to leave Smallville. Her sitting to the right of him in his truck, throwing her head back in laughter. Sitting beside her in the doctor's office. A steady, strong heartbeat.

"Let me fix it. Please."

"I cannot. There was only one crystal with the ability to go back in time and you used it yesterday."

"There has to be a way." Clark argued.

"There is no going back this time. I warned you there would be consequences, Kal-El. I regret which life had to be traded for yours, but you were the one who chose. You altered fate when you saved Lana Lang. Then your Lois changed the timeline when she saved the life of Jonathan Kent. She must also deal with the consequences of her actions. But I will tell you this, my son. If Lois Lane continues to change fate, she will be stopped. She will not be allowed to keep you from your destiny."

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

When Clark returned to Jonathan's hospital room, his mother had returned. His parents lay together on the bed, holding on to each other as if each of their lives depended on it.

"Could I have a minute alone with dad, please?"

"Of course." Martha said, getting up from the bed. "I'll go get some coffee."

She put her hand on Clark's cheek tenderly before she walked out. As Clark stood in the doorway, looking at the man who raised him, covered in tubes and barely alive, it hit him that Jonathan should be dead now. If not for Lois, they probably would have held the funeral today. Under different circumstances he probably would've been upset that she knew his father would die and she didn't warn him, but he had forgiven her the moment he heard what Jor-El said. He didn't know what he would have done if he hadn't had Jonathan around to have this conversation with. He needed advice now more than ever before.

"How's Lois doing?" Jonathan asked. "If I could get out of this damn bed I would go and see her myself."

Clark didn't answer him. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and buried his face in his hands. He hadn't realized he was shaking until then.

"What is it, son? What's wrong?"

"I haven't been to see her yet." He admitted.

"Why not?"

"I can't, dad. I've circled the building four times, but everytime I get close to her room I stop. I can't make myself go in."

"It's not your fault, Clark. You can't be there all the time."

"It is my fault, dad. It's completely my fault. If Jor-El hadn't brought me back…" He trailed off, ignoring the confused expression on Jonathan's face. "How did you know you'd be a good father?"

"I didn't. Being a parent doesn't come with an instruction manual. I just tried to do what I believed was the right thing every day. What's all this about?"

"I think...I think Lois is my wife. Or she will be at least." It wasn't until he said the words out loud to his father that they really sunk in. In ten years she would be his wife, she would be the mother of his children. He thought of Lana and how he knew he loved her from the very first moment he saw her. Then he thought of Lois, who he had barely even liked when they met. It had been Lana who told him the best relationships start out that way. "I didn't think it could be true, and I don't know if I want it to be real or not. Yesterday I was engaged to Lana. Yesterday I didn't even know if I could have biological children. Now everything's been turned upside down. I don't know what to do."

He stopped talking when he saw Jonathan trying to get out of bed. Clark stood up and gently pushed him back down. "Dad, you can't. You'll hurt yourself."

Jonathan huffed. "Now you listen to me, Clark. I know that you're scared and that you didn't ask for all of this responsibility to be thrown into your lap at twenty. I know that you're not at this point in your life, so you're not ready for it. But you know what to do, and the fact that you're questioning it, that you're trying your hardest deny all of it and not face it means that you will be a good father and now is the time for you to step up. That woman down the hall has been through something terrible, something that you or I may never be able to fully understand. What is she going to think if you abandon her now, when she needs you there the most? Go, Clark. Do the right thing."

O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0O0

In the room at the end of the hall was something Clark thought he would never see in his lifetime. Lois Lane looking completely and utterly defeated. She wouldn't even look at him when he entered the room.

Hesitant but determined, he walked to the edge of her bed and grabbed her hand. "Lois-"

"I'm sorry," She croaked. Hours of crying had left her colorless with tear tracks on her face. "I tried. I tried to fight them off, but I couldn't"

He slid into the hospital bed beside her and pulled her carefully onto his chest. She began to sob again, and he let her, without trying to calm her down. He ran his fingers through her hair. She was on so many painkillers he didn't know if she would even remember that he was there.

"The baby was mine, wasn't it?" He finally asked, once her tears had become silent again. "Ours, I mean."

She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "Yes."

"We don't have to talk about it now." He pulled her tighter against him. Jonathan had been right of course. He didn't ask for this and it wasn't their time yet. But now that she was beside him again, his mind cleared. From the moment she opened her eyes and he realized that she was going to live, he knew. Lois had snuck into his heart, from some back door that he never knew existed and she had taken it

They lay together for what felt like hours, until Clark saw a few police officers hurrying down the hall. Clark got out of bed, trying his best not to jostle Lois, who had fallen asleep.

He went to the nurse's station where a group of officers and hospital staff gathered around a small child. The boy was crying and backing away from the crowd. He quited down the second he saw Clark, who was slightly taller than everyone around him. The boy reached out for him and cried, "Daddy!"


End file.
